Wrenn Tree Permittee-Responsible Mitigation

RES developed a Permittee-Responsible Mitigation (PRM) for Gallo Wineries in anticipation of their manufacturing facility expansion. After identifying the 501-acre site, RES restored approximately 8,000 linear feet of stream. The project involved designing and constructing a stable meandering channel with the appropriate width/depth ratio and stable banks. Our team also enhanced approximately 10,598 linear feet of the stream through invasive control, planting native riparian communities, and implementing some bioengineered and Rosgen stream stabilization techniques. Native fish and other aquatic habitats have already shown improvement due to the installation of features such as brush toes, constructed riffles, log and rock sills, and pools of varying depths. This comprehensive effort has significantly improved water quality in the restored and enhanced streams by reducing sediment load caused by erosion through channel stabilization.

The RES team has also successfully removed an existing dam and associated impoundment while restoring historical stream reach and hydrology. The native riparian buffer was reinstated and has restored natural flow and fish passage from the headwaters to the Catawba River.

Furthermore, RES has enhanced approximately three acres of onsite wetlands and buffers, with an additional 2.81 acres of wetlands restored adjacent to the restored stream channels within the onsite pond footprint. Out of these 2.81 acres, 2.77 acres will generate wetland restoration credit, with the remaining 0.04 acres remaining as ponded areas likely to revegetate naturally.

In a significant step towards conservation, a permanent conservation easement in perpetuity will be established on a portion of the 501.33-acre site. Approximately 32 acres will be donated to the Catawba Indian Nation, with the remainder of the property to be donated to South Carolina Parks and Recreation and Tourism. This will expand the adjacent Landsford Canal State Park, with 239 acres encompassing the mitigation project and conservation easement. RES’s efforts have met regulatory requirements and contributed significantly to preserving and improving the local environment.