Puncheon Fork Mitigation Bank

The Puncheon Fork Mitigation Project is located within a rural watershed in Madison County, North Carolina, approximately five miles northwest of Swiss, NC. The Project lies within the French Broad River Basin, and USGS 12-digit HUC 060101051001. The Project is being designed to help meet compensatory mitigation requirements for cold stream and riparian wetland impacts in HUC 06010105. The Project area is comprised of a 13.27-acre easement involving Puncheon Fork and three of its unnamed tributaries as well as a segment of Hampton Creek, which all drain into Upper Big Laurel Creek and, eventually, the French Broad River.

The streams and wetlands proposed for restoration and enhancement have been significantly impacted by long-term agricultural practices, specifically livestock husbandry, which has contributed to degraded stream channels and the lack of riparian wetland and buffer vegetation throughout the Project. Puncheon Fork and Hampton Creek are trout waters and have increased sedimentation from hoof shear, bank erosion, and pasture runoff. Proposed improvements to the Project include bank stabilization, stream habitat structure installation, cattle exclusion fencing, and buffer planting.  The Project presents 3,157 Cold SMUs, and 1.00 Riparian WMUs.