Client: Wildlands-owned mitigation bank
Location: Wayne County, NC

Falling Creek Umbrella Mitigation Bank is a private Wildlands-owned mitigation bank in the Neuse River Basin. The project involves restoration, enhancement, and preservation of streams, wetlands, and riparian buffers on an active cattle and hog farm. Stream banks were stabilized and planted, reducing sediment inputs to the streams. Streams were raised and drainage ditches filled to restore natural groundwater hydrology to former wetlands. The project will deliver approximately 18,900 stream credits, 56 wetland credits, and 1.7 million buffer credits. Aquatic habitats were restored and riparian buffers were planted. The livestock that previously had access to the streams were excluded from the easement with fencing. These activities also reduced nutrient loading to the streams on site and to downstream waters through reductions of sediment and livestock waste from the streams. Approximately 390 acres of land was placed under permanent conservation easement to protect the site in perpetuity. Construction was completed in the Spring of 2018. In October of 2018 the site received approximately 30 inches of rain in three days from Hurricane Florence. Minimal aggradation in two of the channels was the only observed damage from the storm.