STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Riverland Ventures, LLC is proposing to establish a 3,514- acre wetland mitigation bank through vegetative enhancement activities and preservation. The mitigation bank is located along a corridor of the Savannah River, six miles northeast of the City of Newington, Screven County, Georgia.

BACKGROUND: On May 6, 2011, Savannah District received a Draft Prospectus for the proposed Poor Robin Mitigation Bank (PRMB). On May 30, 2012, a Public Notice was issued for the proposed mitigation bank. Several comments were submitted from the public in response to the notice that related to the fact that the applicant was proposing mostly preservation and the concern that the bank did not meet the preservation criteria laid out in the regulations. These comments were made part of the permanent record. In addition on June 29, 2012, Savannah District received a congressional inquiry from a competing banker questioning the validity of the mitigation bank, which was answered and also made part of the administrative file. On April 21, 2014, the District received the draft banking instrument. It was reviewed for completeness and forwarded to the Interagency Review Team that is comprised of the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

The PRMB application is being processed by the Savannah District in accordance with the procedures outlined in US Army Corps of Engineers regulations found at Title 33 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 332, “Compensatory Mitigation for Losses in Aquatic Resources,” published in the Federal Register April 10, 2008, and with Savannah District’s processing procedures titled, “Draft Guidelines to Establish and Operate Mitigation Banks in Georgia,” dated January 14, 2009.

CURRENT STATUS: Savannah District has decided to discontinue processing of this mitigation bank proposal until a myriad of comments are addressed regarding issues like the bank service area, impervious surface calculations, accuracy of soils map, additional information on hydrologic impairment, hydrologic lift, performance standard measurements, etc. All of the required information was requested in a July 29, 2014, letter to the applicant.

DISTRICT POC: Sherelle Reinhardt, Coastal Branch, Regulatory Division, (912) 652-5964.