SITE SELECTION CRITERIA FOR SUCCESSFUL
WETLAND MITIGATION PROJECTS
Barbara B. Beall
Richard P. Futyma, and Joseph G. Sporko
The LA Group, P.C
40 Long Alley
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
ABSTRACT
Construction of a 240 Megawatt natural gas fired cogeneration facility in
Plattsburgh,
New York, entailed filling 2.3 hectares (5.8 acres) of federal and New York
State
Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) regulated wetlands with
additional impacts from associated utility corridors and facilities. It was
anticipated
that between 4 to 8 hectares (10 to 20 acres) of wetland mitigation would
be
necessary to obtain federal and state permits. The selection process for
the
mitigation site was integrated into the alternatives analysis for the cogeneration
site,
and involved an examination of sites within 1.6 kilometers (one mile) of
the thermal
host. Because the study included the analysis of many alternative sites,
a
methodology to screen these sites for mitigation suitability was developed.
These
sites were screened for a variety of factors including: 1) the physical site
conditions,
2) land uses, and 3) compliance with state and federal mitigation guidelines.
Of the twelve candidate sites reviewed, most were unsuitable as mitigation
sites due
to factors such as small size, existing wetlands, potential hazardous waste
contamination, and inappropriate land uses. The site ultimately chosen for
the
mitigation wetland had the advantage of being within the same watershed as
most
of the impacted wetlands, having an adequate water supply and being adjacent
to
a large natural wetland. Further studies ultimately confirmed the original
site
selection.
INTRODUCTION
The Saranac Cogeneration Project is located in Plattsburgh, New York (Clinton
County), a city near the Canadian border (Figure 1, Project location map).
The
project involved the construction of a natural gas fired 240 Megawatt cogeneration
facility. This cogeneration facility supplies electrical energy to the local
power grid,
and steam to a Georgia Pacific paper products factory, which serves as the
thermal
host, also located on the north side of the City of Plattsburgh.


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