08-21-2002 Committee Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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a ( 5 ad (ze.t ;-ga) Port of Houston Authority Wetland Mitigation Plan SUCCESS CRITERIA AND PERFORMANCE STANDARDS The objective of this mitigation project is to replace the ecological services that are expected to be lost when jurisdictional and non jurisdictional wetlands are removed, for the construction of the proposed Bayport Project. The USACE has determined that the mitigation wetlands proposed for this project must provide a reasonable level of ecological service, in perpetuity, to meet the intended replacement objectives for 18.3 acres of adjacent wetlands expected to be lost at the Bayport Project site. This section outlines the methods by which development of the compensatory wetland will be evaluated, and the long-term success of the project assured. Success criteria are the quantifiable physical, chemical, and ecological characteristics through which the performance of a project will be measured. Generally, success criteria are not based on direct measurements of ecological service, but are based on the measurement of characteristics that are critical for the provision of ecological services. A constructed wetland should provide the intended level of ecological service, when all the critical elements have been provided. The characteristics that are critical for long-term success of a constructed wetland are, • Wetland hydrology, • Percent cover of desirable hydrophytic vegetation, and, • Control of undesirable vegetation. When construction of the project is complete, these characteristics will be evaluated on a prescribed schedule ( Gk_.tcrts 37 40), using approved analytical methods, to determine when established performance standards have been achieved. The performance standards established for this project are short-term performance goals that, if met, will provide reasonable assurance of long-term project success. If the constructed wetland meets the performance standards specified in this plan during the prescribed monitoring period, it is reasonable to assume the wetland will continue to provide a reasonable level of ecological service into the future. Benchmark Ecological Services, Inc. June 2002 S H