Environmental Banc & Exchange

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$3.3 Million Stream and Wetlands Project Awarded to Environmental Banc and Exchange LLC in Windsor, NC

April 18, 2006...Bertie County, NC: Environmental Banc and Exchange LLC (EBX) has won a contract from the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources to provide full service mitigation at EBX’s Floogie mitigation site near Windsor, North Carolina, in Bertie County. The project, valued at $3.3 million, is a part of the North Carolina’s Ecosystem Enhancement Program (EEP).

According to Thom Rinker, COO at EBX, the restoration project will produce 11,325 linear feet of stream credits and 25 acres of riverine wetlands credits in an area drained by Flat Swamp Creek in the Roanoke River watershed. The original wetlands on the site were destroyed in the 1930’s when the property was drained and the stream bed relocated to a ditch to create farmland for row crops.

This project will do restoration of a type that has not been done before on this scale, says Michael Ellison, director of watershed sciences for W. K. Dixon and Company, an engineering firm working on the project as a part of the EBX team.

Ellison says, "We believe this land had been a bottom land hardwood swamp prior to its being disturbed; now it's just a ditch. The restoration work will involve filling in the existing ditches and creating a multiple thread stream channel system to restore the wetlands. The project will be further enhanced by planting native wetlands species."

EBX officials also plan to reconstruct the original stream channel of Flat Swamp Creek so that the finished stream will have a meandering pattern similar to what first existed before it was destroyed. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall, and the project will be completed by late spring 2007.

"I've been doing this for over 20 years, and this is one of the best projects I've ever been a part of," Ellison says. "The mere scale of this project and the number of benefits that result in flood prevention, species preservation, and nutrient reduction are amazing."

The end result will be a riverine wetland, populated by Bald Cypress, Swamp Black Gum, River Oak, and Swamp Birch trees that will undergo periodic flooding. According to George Kelly, an EBX principal, "The finished project will improve water quality and moderate flood risks, while also bringing back the natural habitat for three endangered species—the Cerulean Warbler, the Rafinsque's Big-Eared Bat, and the Chowanoke Crayfish. With over two miles of restored stream at the top end and a 25 acre fully functioning wetland created by braided water flow at the bottom, this is a big win for the people of Bertie County and those who live in the Roanoke River watershed and near Pamlico Sound."

Founded in 1997, EBX has been active in North Carolina since its beginning. The ecosystem restoration and mitigation banking company developed its first major mitigation project in North Carolina, and continues to focus much of its mitigation work there. The firm has offices in Durham, and has done over $40 million of work throughout the State. EBX has restored over 20 miles of stream and preserved over 1500 acres of wetlands in North Carolina since its founding.

The firm also does projects throughout the Southeast and nationally. Environmental Banc & Exchange is America's leading turn-key provider of ecosystem restoration and protection solutions. The firm has completed over thirty mitigation banks nationwide, restored thousands of acres of wetlands, renewed miles of stream, and rehabilitated numerous other critical habitats. EBX works with private and public sector clients to provide turn-key solutions which offset environmental impacts. Each solution involves the unique combination of products and services reflecting the particular project requirements and challenges.

Contact
Stephen Kaiser, PR counsel
410-467-7800