Appendix M 

EEC MITIGATION REQUIREMENTS FOR 

COE LANDS 
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ELBA EXPRESS MITIGATION REQUIREMENTS 

FOR US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS LANDS 

BACKGROUND 

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is evaluating a request to expand 

the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility in Savannah and construct a pipeline across the 

state to join an existing pipeline near Hartwell, GA. The US Army Corps of Engineers, 

Savannah District is a Cooperating Agency on preparation of the Environmental Impact 

Statement that is a part of that evaluation. 

The Corps is involved in four aspects in the proposed action: (1) Regulatory issues for 

expanding the existing LNG terminal, (2) Regulatory issues for constructing the pipeline 

across the state, (3) civil works issues where the pipeline crosses Corps-managed 

lands at Savannah District’s reservoir projects, and (4) civil works issues where the 

pipeline crosses Corps mitigation lands in Georgia at the reservoir projects. 

For impacts to the civil works projects (issues #3 and 4 above), the Corps followed the 

procedures described in EC 1130-2-540, titled “Evaluating Requests For Development 

Or Use Of Corps Land And Water Resources”. An entity proposing to use Corps lands 

must pay fair market value for the lands to be used, compensate for impacts to project 

operations, and address impacts to any special lands (in this case, mitigation lands). 

PROPOSED ACTION 

Elba Express proposes to use Corps lands to install, operate and maintain a gas 

pipeline to transport natural gas. The new gas line would be part of a line connecting 

the Southern LNG terminal in Savannah to the Transco line near Hartwell, Georgia. 

The Corps would need to issue easements to allow use of the property they own or 

manage. The Corps would also need to modify the mitigation plan it has in place to 

compensate for impacts of constructing the Richard B. Russell Lake Project. 

The proposed action would impact Corps-owned or managed lands to the following 

extent: 

LOCATION 

PERMANENT 

IMPACTS 

TEMPORARY 

IMPACTS TOTAL ACRES 

Richard B. Russell 5.40 acres 13.83 acres 19.23 

J. Strom Thurmond 3.03 acres 6.68 acres 9.71 

Hartwell 4.60 acres 15.13 acres 19.73 

Dilane Plantation 0 41.33 acres 41.33 

Only temporary impacts would occur to mitigation lands at the DiLane Plantation. 
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PROPOSED MITIGATION 

The Corps coordinated with natural resource agencies and determined that the following ratios 

would be appropriate to replace wildlife values of the properties that would be adversely 

impacted and compensate for other impacts to projects operations on those lands: 

MITIGATION RATIOS: 3:1 for permanent impacts 

 0.5:1 for temporary impacts to project lands and DiLane 

 1:1 for temporary impacts to Richard B. Russell collar lands 

Applying those ratios to the acreage that would be impacted results in the following mitigation 

requirements: 

LOCATION 

PERMANENT 

IMPACTS 

TEMPORARY 

IMPACTS 

TOTAL 

MITIGATION 

ACRES 

Richard B. Russell 16.2 acres 13.83 acres 30.03 

J. Strom Thurmond 9.09 acres 3.34 acres 12.43 

Hartwell 13.8 acres 7.57 acres 21.37 

Dilane Plantation 0 20.67 acres 20.67 

 Total: 39.09 acres 45.41 acres 84.5 acres 

If the permanent and temporary impacts are combined, the overall mitigation ratio for the 

proposed project is as follows: 84.5 acres / 90 acres = 0.94:1 

MITIGATION PLAN 

During review of the proposed action, Elba Express agreed to relocate where the 

proposed pipeline would cross Corps lands at the Hartwell Lake Project to portions of 

an existing pipeline corridor. That relocation minimized use of Corps lands to the extent 

possible with the pipeline alignment that was selected; therefore, we will not require any 

additional mitigation land acreage for the Hartwell project. 

Elba Express would mitigate for the impacts of its project on Corps lands through two 

main avenues. The first is through actions taken during and soon after construction to 

minimize the effects of those activities. 

The basic environmental protections are described in Elba’s Upland Erosion Control, 

Revegetation and Maintenance Plan (Appendix E of EIS). In addition to those 

requirements, Elba will also implement the following procedures on US Army Corps of 

Engineers properties: 

• During construction within any wetlands, topsoil will be stripped, segregated and 

used in final grading and revegetation. 

• Construction time for all stream or wetland crossings will be kept to the minimum 

necessary to complete the crossing. Once initiated, construction and then site 
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restoration activities will be performed continuously until completed, unless prior 

approval from the Corps is received. 

• All disturbed areas will be seeded with a temporary cover immediately following 

final grading and, where appropriate, completion of directional drill. 

• Permanent seeding will consist of native, warm season grasses such as 

bluestems and Indian grass (Andropogon spp. and Sorghastrum spp.) and occur 

during appropriate seeding dates. 

• With the exception of the DiLane Plantation, all other temporary workspaces will 

be planted with native hardwood seedlings (oak or hickory with 18-24” height) at 

a 10’X10’ spacing, with a minimum survival rate of 70% after one-year. An 

independent agent of the easement holder will monitor survival at one-year and 

replant if necessary to achieve the designated survival rate of 300 seedlings per 

acre. 

• Mowing the Elba Express permanent right-of-way will not be allowed between 

April 1st and June 15th to minimize impacts to ground nesting birds. Due to 

DiLane being managed as a quail area, mowing the Elba Express permanent 

right-of-way will not occur until after September 1st. 

• Three Grady ponds occur at DiLane within the boundary of the existing pipeline 

ROW or in the proposed temporary ROW. Grady ponds are wetlands listed as 

priority habitats by the Georgia DNR. The hydrology of the pond could be 

adversely affected (possibly draining the wetland) by placement of the pipeline. 

An independent agent of the easement holder will monitor and evaluate this site 

at 6 and 12 months after construction is completed to determine if any long-term 

impacts to hydrology and wetlands have occurred at the site. The agent will 

submit a report of his findings to the easement holder and the US Army Corps of 

Engineers. Using that information the Corps will determine if impacts have 

occurred that require Elba Express to perform additional mitigation. 

• Silt curtains will be used at the crossings of Little River, Beaverdam Creek, and 

Coldwater Creek. 

• The shoreline at Little River crossing, Beaverdam Creek Crossing, and 

Coldwater Creek crossing will be planted in shallow-rooted shrubs. Immediately 

adjacent to shoreline and above (475’ amsl at Russell and 330’ amsl at 

Thurmond) or in wet areas buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) and/or silky 

dogwood (Cornus ammomum) will be planted within the temporary and 

permanent easement; wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera) and/or flowering dogwood 

(Cornus florida) can be used in drier areas. Planting should extend in a band 

beginning at the shoreline to a distance of 15-20 feet from the shoreline. 

• In addition to contour mats; rip-rap and gravel will be placed along the lake 

bottom (below 475’ amsl at Russell and 330’ amsl) at Thurmond. Specifications 

are as follows: 

o Two rock piles should be constructed adjacent to the river crossing at 

Beaverdam Creek. Rock piles should be placed at elevation 460’ m.s.l. or 

lower and within 300’ upstream and 300’ downstream of the Beaverdam 

Creek crossing. Exact locations of the rock piles will be determined by the 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Richard B. Russell Operations Manager’s 

Office. 
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o The composition of the rock piles should be mixed sized rock, with the 

largest rock a #3 rip rap (basketball size) down to #57 gravel. The rock 

piles should be at least 20’ in diameter at the base and 3’ to 4’ in height. 

See Figure 1. 

o A layer of #3 rip rap (basketball size) should be placed over the entire 

length of the stream crossings at Beaverdam Creek and Coldwater Creek 

up to elevation 475 m.s.l.. 

The second avenue of mitigation is through acquisition of lands to replace the attributes 

of those that would be impacted by their new use as a pipeline crossing. With the 

assistance of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the US Army Corps of 

Engineers developed a list of properties that would assist wildlife management at these 

projects. This list is shown on the following page and ordered according to the priorities 

for each area. Figures showing the location of various potential sites for the Russell 

and Thurmond Projects are included on the 13 pages after the list. The sites would 

serve specific purposes, such as providing access roads to otherwise landlocked tracts. 

Obtaining access to such tracts would allow us to manage and operate them better for 

wildlife purposes. Other sites would provide wildlife habitat similar to what is being 

impacted, while other small tracts may even up boundary lines or similarly make our 

wildlife management operations more effective or efficient. 

Elba Express would obtain those lands either in fee or by easement. If easements are 

pursued, the Corps will be provided the opportunity to review their wording to ensure 

they include all the needed uses for the site. To provide flexibility and allow acquisition 

from willing sellers, the list of properties consists of more acreage than the applicant 

would need to acquire to fill the mitigation requirement. Elba would pursue properties 

from that initial list to secure the required mitigation acreages. If this list is exhausted 

before reaching the required acreages, the Corps will provide additional properties for 

Elba to pursue. Unless a tract is particularly small, a property owner will generally be 

considered unwilling to sell if multiple written offers of up to 110% of the fair market 

Mixed Rock Sizes 

From #3 Rip Rap 

(Basketball Size) 

to #57 gravel. 3’ – 4’

Figure 1 – Rock Pile Dimensions – Beaverdam Creek 
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value of the property are not accepted. Any mitigation acreages which cannot be 

secured by Elba Express, from willing sellers, before the lands are impacted or by 

12/31/2008 whichever is earlier, will be compensated for by other equivalent 

compensation which is mutually agreeable to the Corps and Elba Express. 
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List of Properties for Elba Express Mitigation Acreages Acres

 

DiLane Plantation 

Overall objective of proposed mitigation is to provide access to DiLane Plantation from Highway 

56 along DiLane Plantation Road 

Frank C. Griffin tract north of DiLane Plantation Road. Tract is woodland/agriculture. 39.00

Frank C. Griffin tract south of DiLane Plantation Road. Tract is woodland/agriculture. 33.00

Raymond Delaigle, Jr. tract north of DiLane Plantation Road. 

Woodland will require access easement from Georgia Hwy. 56. 40.00

Replacement of bridge and culvert along DiLane Plantation Road approximately 0.30 miles 

easterly of Georgia Hwy. 56. TBD

Charles Brightman Skinner Revocable Living Trust property north of DiLane Plantation Road. 

Tract is woodland. 76.00

Russell Lake 

Access road R-1, located off the Dan Tucker Road in Elbert County, 60 ft. in width, 30 ft. on 

either side of center line, with an estimated length of 6,000 linear ft. 8.50

Access road #1 located in Elbert County in the area of Blue Branch, 60 ft. in width, 30 ft. either 

side of center line, with an estimated length of 3,000 linear ft. 4.25

Access road #2 located in Elbert County in the area of Blue Branch, 60 ft. in width, 30 ft. either 

side of center line, estimated length of 5,000 linear ft. 6.50

Access road #1 located in Elbert County in the area of Dry Fork Creek, 60 ft. in width, 30 ft. either 

side of center line, with an estimated length of 4,000 linear ft. 5.50

Access road #2 located in Elbert County in the area of Dry Fork Creek, 60 ft. in width, 30 ft. either 

side of center line, estimated length of 5,000 linear ft. 6.50

Access road located in Abbeville County, South Carolina, near Beulah Land Farm, 60 ft. in width, 

30 ft. on either side of center line, estimated length 4,000 linear feet. 5.50

Purchase of a tract located off Middelton Branch in Elbert County. This tract is entitled 

"Heardmont" and is currently in the ownership of a timber company. The location is within the 

existing ACOE buffer. 

5.60

Purchase of a tract located off Ruckersville Road in Elbert County. This tract is adjacent to the 

ACOE buffer to the northeast and is also judged to be in the ownership of a timber company. 10.00

Thurmond Lake 

Purchase of a tract located off Poland Road adjacent to ACOE lands to the west and the 

Pleasant View Subdivision along the lake front on the north and east. 1.02

Access road at "Dry Fork Creek". 60 ft. in width, 30 ft. on either side of center line. 

This road leads from Old Petersburg road to ACOE lands to the northeast. 1.71

Access road located in the area of what is believed to be Dry Fork Creek. 

This access road leads from a county maintained road to the lands owned by the ACOE to the 

southeast. 

3.34

Access road located off Smith Chapel Road with the ACOE lands located to the north. 2.20

Access road at "Fishing Creek Marina", 60 ft. in width, 30 ft. on either side of center line. 

This road leads from County Road 525 to ACOE lands to the west. 7.90

Purchase of a tract located on GA Hwy. 220 between GA Hwys. 43 and 47. This tract is on the 

southerly side of GA Hwy. This tract is bordered by lands owned by the ACOE to the southwest. 0.82

Access road at "Dooleys Bottom" 60 ft. in width, 30 ft. on either side of center line. 

Road leads from Wrightsboro Road to ACOE lands to the north. 9.91

Access road located in the area of what is believed to be Soap Creek. This access road leads 

from a county maintained road to the lands owned by the ACOE to the north. 3.87
Non-Internet Public 

FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR THE 

PROPOSED ELBA III PROJECT 

Docket Nos. CP06-470-000, CP06-471-000, CP06-472-000, 

CP06-473-000, and CP06-474-000 

APPENDIX M 

Aerial and Topographic Maps of Pipeline Mitigation Sites for 

Di-Lane Plantation WMA, Lake Richard B. Russell, and 

Thurmond Lake 

Pages M7-M24 

Public access for the above information is available only 

through the Public Reference Room, or by e-mail at 

public.referenceroom@ferc.gov. 
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AGENCY COMMENTS 

The Corps of Engineers has coordinated with the natural resource agencies on the 

extent of the impacts on Corps lands and the mitigation that would be appropriate. This 

coordination included numerous conversations, site visits, and meetings. Agreements 

reached through that coordination have been documented through letters and emails. 

The following 6 pages contain a letter from the Corps to the US Fish and Wildlife 

Service, followed by their response, and then a letter from the Corps to the Georgia 

Department of Natural Resources followed by their response.
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