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December 15, 1997 <br /> <br />Mr. Blair Bennett <br />Finance Director <br />Cabarrus County Governmental Center <br />P.O. Box 707 <br />Concord, NC 28026-0707 <br /> <br />I-DR <br /> <br />Re.' <br /> <br />Coddle Creek Reservoir Preserved Buffer Area <br />HDR Project # 08427-003-018 <br /> <br />Dear Blair: <br /> <br />Within the past few' weeks, another portion of the preserved buffer area surrounding the <br />Coddle Creek Reservoir was partially cleared of trees. After receiving a call from Ernie <br />Brock (WSACC) on December 3 informing me of the situation and requesting a site visit, <br />Chris Matthews (HDR Engineering) and I inspected the area in question on December 9. <br /> <br />The area which has been partially cleared is located on the western shore immediately <br />north of the N.C. Highway 136 crossing of the reservoir. The impact area extends from a <br />residential lawn to the water's edge, and is approximately 175' long and 100' wide. This <br />results in an overall impact of roughly 0.4 acres. Most trees smaller than 3" in diameter <br />have been removed, along with bushes and other ground-cover vegetation. These <br />included eastern red cedar (./uniperus vb'giniana), dogwood (Cornusflorida), along with <br />assorted oaks (Quercus spp.) and hickories (Ca~ya spp.). The remaining trees are <br />predominantly Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana, 8-14" diameters) and cedar (5-7" <br />diameters), though some small hardwoods are present near the water's edge. The <br />majority of the clearing debris has been burned on-site or pushed to the north side of the <br />cleared area. Determining the total number of trees removed was difficult due to the <br />small size of the cut trees. Considering this, approximately 50 trees with I-4" diameters <br />were taken, though th~ presence of debris piles and logs may have hidden additional <br />stumps from view. <br /> <br />Since this area is the property of Cabarrus County, the decision regarding an official <br />response rests largely with county and WSACC officials. As you are aware, the forested <br />buffer around the reservoir exists to help protect water quality and provide important <br />wildlife habitat. When portions of it are cleared of vegetation, its ability to meet these <br />needs is significantly impaired. To continue meeting state and federal permit <br />requirements and safeguard water quality, impacts like those described here require some <br />fon'n of mitigation. <br /> <br />HDR Engineering, Inc. <br />of North Carolina <br /> <br />Suite 1400 Telephone <br />128 S. T~on Street 704 338-6700 <br />Charlotte, North Carolina Fax <br />28202-5001 704 338-6760 <br /> <br />Engineering <br />Construction Services <br /> <br /> <br />