Alternative Alignments, Proposed Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline, Luzerne
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A Comparison of the Water Resource Impacts Associated with Alternative Alignments of the Proposed Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline On and Near the Nesbitt Property Luzerne and Wyoming Counties, Pennsylvania Prepared for: Icarus Ecological Services, Inc. 8639 Ranchwood Lane Saint Augustine, FL 32092 www.icaruses.com Prepared by: Schmid & Company, Inc., Consulting Ecologists 1201 Cedar Grove Road Media, Pennsylvania 19063-1044 (610) 356-1416 www.schmidco.com January 2017 Revised April 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Introduction and Summary . 1 Property Identification and Location . 1 Water Resources . 2 Waterways . 2 Wetlands . 3 Proposed Atlantic Sunrise Route and Alternatives . 3 Evaluation of the Nesbitt Route and 12 West Alternatives . 4 Route Comparisons: Streams . 5 Route Comparisons: Wetlands . 9 Summary and Conclusions . 12 Authorship . 13 References . 13 LIST OF FIGURES Following Figure Page 1 Property location in Susquehanna River Basin . 1 2 USGS location map . 1 3 National Hydrography Dataset streams . 3 4 Additional drainageways based on LiDAR . 3 5 Aerial photobased location of three alternative alignments . 3 6 Hydric soil units and units with hydric inclusions . 10 7 Natural Heritage Areas . 11 i INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY The Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Company, LLC (Transco) proposes to construct about 184 miles of petroleum pipelines in eastern Pennsylvania in a generally north-south direction, beginning in Susquehanna County and terminating in Lancaster County. The overall project is referred to as the Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline Project, and it consists of several sections. The northern section is referred to as the Central Penn Line North (CPL North). Three alternative alignments of the CPL North route pass through or near a property of approximately 2,800 acres owned by Geraldine T. Nesbitt, along the border of Luzerne and Wyoming Counties in northeastern Pennsylvania. This report provides a professional review and evaluation of the impacts associated with the proposed alignment across the Nesbitt property and compares them with impacts associated with two proposed alternative alignments. The Nesbitt property consists largely of sensitive environmental features, including mature forest, several high quality watersheds with numerous waterways, diverse wetlands, a 120- acre lake (Lake Catalpa), and areas of steep slopes. The property is within two identified Natural Areas according to the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program and includes documented habitat for rare and endangered species (PA-DCNR 2016). Additionally, there are documented historic and prehistoric archaeological resources located throughout the property. The proposed development of a new 30-inch petroleum pipeline, within a construction corridor up to 90 feet wide, would result in significant irreparable adverse impacts to the unique and sensitive resources of the Nesbitt property. The impacts on the Nesbitt property associated with the proposed pipeline are unnecessary because there are feasible alternatives available to the project sponsor which entail less damaging impacts to water resources and other environmental features. PROPERTY IDENTIFICATION AND LOCATION The Nesbitt property is located in northeastern Pennsylvania in the eastern part of the Susquehanna River basin (Figure 1). It is in the glaciated eastern section of the Appalachian Plateau physiographic province of Pennsylvania. The property forms parts of four municipalities in two counties (Dallas and Franklin Townships in Luzerne County; Monroe and Northmoreland Townships in Wyoming County). An excerpt from the Center Moreland PA 1:24,000 USGS (1983) topographic quadrangle is attached (Figure 2) showing the location of the Nesbitt property and the immediate vicinity. The coordinates at the center of the Nesbitt property are 41° 24’ 09.1995” N. latitude and 75° 57’ 34.8850” W. longitude. The property is within the headwaters of several waterways that primarily drain either to Leonard Creek (to the west) or to Whitelock Creek (to the east). The property is located to the east of State Route 309, south of Monkey Hollow Road, west of Demunds Road, and north of Lake Catalpa Road. It is about 9.5 miles northwest of 1 Susquehanna Wyoming Luzerne Lancaster FIGURE 1. PA LOCATION MAP. Identification of the Nesbitt property (at arrow) in northeastern Pennsylvania along the border of Luzerne and Wyoming Counties. It is in the eastern section of the Susquehanna River Basin (blue). The route of the proposed Atlantic Sunrise pipeline also is shown (brown dash). Northmoreland Township Monroe Township Wyoming County Franklin Township Luzerne County Dallas Township FIGURE 2. USGS LOCATION MAP Identification of the Nesbitt property (blue shading, toothed outline) in Dallas and Franklin Townships (Luzerne County) and Monroe and Northmoreland Townships (Wyoming County), Pennsylvania. Basemap is the Center Moreland PA topographic quadrangle. Wilkes-Barre, about 11 miles west of Scranton, and about 88 miles northeast of Harrisburg. Onsite surface elevations range from about 1,170 to nearly 1,700 feet above sea level. The lowest elevations are where drainageways exit the site (in the west where the unnamed tributaries flow toward Leonard Creek, and in the northeast near Center Moreland where unnamed tributaries flow toward Whitelock Creek). Elevations along the northern border of the property generally range from about 1,300 to 1,400 feet. The highest elevation (about 1,680 feet) is in the southern corner of the rectangular section of the site that extends south from Lake Catalpa Road. WATER RESOURCES Waterways The Nesbitt property is in the northeastern section of the Susquehanna River basin in Pennsylvania, about 5.5 miles west of the Susquehanna River (PA-designated WWF [warm water fishes]). It is in the headwaters of several major named streams of very high quality. Most of the property (about 79%) is within the drainage area of Leonard Creek (PA- designated HQ-CWF [high quality-cold water fishes]), which flows south to north about one- half mile to the west of the property. Two main unnamed tributaries to Leonard Creek rise onsite: one in the northcentral section (this one flows through Lake Catalpa) and the other in the northwestern section of the property. Those tributaries flow generally southward and westward, and join before exiting the western side of the property. About 16% of the property drains to Whitelock Creek (PA-designated CWF) which arises in the northeastern section of the property and flows generally to the east. Several small sections along the northern part (about 4%) of the Nesbitt property drain northward toward Marsh Creek (HQ-CWF). A very small area in the southeastern section (1%) of the Nesbitt property flows either southeastward toward Sutton Creek (CWF) or southward toward Trout Brook (CWF) . Whitelock Creek (including the reach that extends onto the Nesbitt property), Leonard Creek, and Marsh Creek all are designated natural reproduction trout waters according to the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission. As such, any wetlands within their floodplains are considered "exceptional value" wetlands in accordance with Pa Code 105.17(1)(iii). All exceptional value wetlands also are Exceptional Value waters according to the Commonwealth's antidegradation policies at Pa Code 93.4b(b)(2), which makes them Tier 3 Outstanding National Resource Waters for federal purposes. The NHD (National Hydrography Dataset) identifies only major streams and some of their tributaries, but many more watercourses are subject to federal and state protective regulations (those with defined bed and banks, with perennial or intermittent flow, and that 2 support two or more taxa of aquatic invertebrates). The major named waterways on and near the property, according to the NHD, are shown on Figure 3. In addition to the streams identified by NHD, there are many smaller drainageways on the 1 Nesbitt property and elsewhere. LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) topographic mapping for this area was used by Schmid & Company in a GlobalMapper GIS program to identify additional drainageways on and near the Nesbitt property. Figure 4 identifies additional drainageways on and near the Nesbitt property based on this LiDAR information, including many that Transco has identified along its alternative routes. Wetlands Wetlands have been field-delineated along the section of the proposed CPL North route that crosses the Nesbitt property. Wetlands initially were delineated by consultants for Transco during August 2015. Schmid & Company and Icarus Ecological Services, Inc. inspected the Transco wetland delineations during November 2016 and made several adjustments to reflect additional on-ground conditions of hydric soils, hydrophytic vegetation, and wetland hydrology. Schmid & Company revised sections of three wetlands within the proposed Transco ROW corridor, increasing the total wetland acreage by 0.46 acre to 3.43 acres (15.5% more than the 2.96 acres delineated by Transco). Almost all (98.8%) of the wetlands in the pipeline corridor on the Nesbitt property are forested, contrary to the assertions by Transco that 86.6% are forested. A formal Jurisdictional Determination (JD) was requested by the landowner on 27 December 2016 from the Baltimore District, Army Corps of Engineers (Kunz 2016) to confirm the nature and extent of wetlands (and waterways) within the pipeline corridor on the Nesbitt property. PROPOSED ATLANTIC SUNRISE ROUTE AND ALTERNATIVES In the vicinity of the Nesbitt property, Transco recently has been considering