Mitigation Banks

Sweetleaf Swamp Mitigation Bank

The Sweetleaf Swamp Mitigation Bank is a 595 acre property in Jasper County, South Carolina that has been authorized through the issuance of a US Army Corps of Engineers permit to operate as a commercial wetlands mitigation bank. The purpose of the Bank is to provide compensatory mitigation for projects or permit applicants where on-site mitigation is not available, adequate, feasible or practicable.

The Sweetleaf Swamp Mitigation Bank is available to provide compensatory mitigation within the identified service areas (Service Area Map), on a fee basis, for any authorized impacts to state or federal jurisdictional freshwater isolated wetlands, bottomland hardwood riverine systems, and contiguous forested wetlands such as headwaters and seeps. Additionally, the mitigation bank is available to mitigate for other authorized impacts on a case-by-case basis.

The mitigation bank is not intended to bypass the normal sequencing requirements of the Section 404 permit review process (i.e.: avoidance, minimization, compensation). Mitigation credits from the Bank can only be utilized for projects or activities that have been properly authorized in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations.

The ratio of mitigation credits in the Bank required to adequately compensate for wetland impacts will be determined on a site and/or project specific basis in accordance with the Charleston District Corps of Engineers Standard Operating Procedure for Compensatory Mitigation Plans.

The Sweetleaf Swamp Mitigation Bank is located in southern Jasper County west of US Hwy 321 and north of Sandhills Road near the town of Tillman. The site is bounded by C.H. Niederhof seed orchard owned by the South Carolina Forestry Commission and privately held timber tracts. The Tillman Ridge Heritage Trust Property and Palachacola Wildlife Management area are located in close proximity. Geographically, the site is located in the lower coastal plain of South Carolina. The site is physically connected to the Savannah River to the southwest through Cypress Creek.

Historically, the site was a mature bottomland hardwood swamp forest. Prior to the establishment of the mitigation bank in 2004, the site was managed for timber production. In its original undisturbed state, this ecosystem provided valuable wildlife habitat and water quality functions. The restoration efforts associated with the mitigation bank will restore the natural characteristics and values to this habitat. This work includes:

• Restoration of Indigenous Vegetation - Areas of the site that have been previously impacted by historic silviculture activities will be restored to the vegetative community indigenous to this wetland system.
  
  
• Preservation and Buffers - The entire 595 acre Bank site is preserved in perpetuity by conservation easement, in an essentially natural, undisturbed state, including wetlands and upland buffers and inclusions.
  
  

Additional information and/or assistance in calculating the number of credits needed for mitigation or purchasing credits from Sweetleaf Swamp Mitigation Bank can be obtained by contacting:

Sweetleaf Swamp, LLC
c/o Newkirk Environmental, Inc.
P.O. Box 746
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29465


843/388-6585
FAX 843/388-6580