March 7, 2011
Terra Technologies is proud to announce the completion of the public notice for the creation of the Gasconade River Wetland & Stream Mitigation Bank. This important step of the regulatory approval process asks for comments on the proposed project from the public and the appropriate regulatory agencies.
This unique site in Gasconade County, Missouri surrounds a low-lying area bordering a shallow intermittent stream that originates onsite and flows in two directions from its most uphill point. Historically, this site has been in agricultural production for many years and was likely logged for green ash lumber.
Terra Technologies recognized the potential of this site as the local topography, poorly drained soils and shallow stream system presented an opportunity to spread the water carried by the stream across a wide area through the proper placement of berms and through the excavation of the surrounding areas. Additionally, excavation and microtopography capture runoff and subsurface flows from the surrounding Ozark hills.
This site contains approximately 29 acres of created riparian corridor and 11 acres of wetlands surrounded by upland prairie and forest buffers. The herbaceous layer in parts of the restoration areas had a high level of diversity, but the tree layer contained only a handful of species. Additional herbaceous species have been planted and numerous tree and shrub species have been introduced to the site to drastically enhance the wooded diversity. In addition, some areas in fallow fields surrounding the low-lying area have been excavated and planted with the same diverse mixture of appropriate native wetland species.
Terra Technologies oversaw the construction of the site, will monitor the progress of the restoration, and will sell the resulting wetland and stream credits to third parties to compensate for the impacts to aquatic resources by development and public works projects. Construction was completed in 2008.
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