Application filed for future wetland mitigation at Viking Creek

An application has been submitted to state and federal agencies to allow for a wetland mitigation project on Viking Creek.

Montana Aquatic Resources Services has submitted a permit application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality for the proposal that looks to restore about 6 acres of historic hay field to previous wetland conditions.

The section of property being considered for restoration is part of a 210-acre parcel that is protected under the Murdock-Battin conservation easement, which held by The Nature Conservancy since 1988 protects habitat along Viking Creek east of Wisconsin Avenue north of Whitefish.

The proposed site plan for the Viking Creek project submitted is the first phase of the project’s evaluation and is intended to determine whether the site has enough potential to warrant development of a draft mitigation site plan with more detail, according to the public notice. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is taking comments on the proposed site plan through Aug. 21.

“The decision whether to approve the proposal will be based on an evaluation of the overall proposed activity on the public interest,” according to the public notice. “That decision will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources.”

Lauren Alleman, project manager with MARS, says the project is in the very early stages, and public and agency comments will determine if it moves forward to further refinement. She said she would expect, if approved and the feasibility of the project is determined, it would a minimum of a year before any work could occur.

MARS is a nonprofit out of Livingston that works to identify and implement aquatic restoration projects that enhance stream and wetland functions, along with conserve clean water and improving fish and wildlife habitat.

MARS is proposing to use the Viking Creek project for the Montana Statewide In-Lieu Fee program to offset permitted impacts to streams and wetlands.

Alleman explained that MARS is a certified sponsor of the Montana in-lieu fee program and works with the Army Corps and an Interagency Review Team to screen, review and monitor related projects. MARS accepts mitigation responsibility on behalf of the permittee.

“This provides wetland benefits that offset the impacts of other projects,” she said.

This would be the first time MARS has completed a project in the Flathead, she noted.

The purpose of the proposed Viking Creek project is to offset impacts to scrub-shrub and forested wetlands along the mainstem and Middle Fork of the Flathead River, according to the public notice. The project plans to replace lost riparian wetland functions and services that occurred as a result of two permits along the Flathead River.

Under the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act, any activity involving discharges of dredged or fill material into waters must compensate for the damage to or loss of aquatic resources. Those planning such activities apply for permits through the Army Corp and then are responsible for providing mitigation in the form of completing the mitigation themselves, paying a for-profit business to complete work through mitigation banking or by paying an in-lieu fee to perform off site mitigation work typically by a government agency or nonprofit such as MARS.

The Viking Creek project site was selected for mitigation because, according to the MARS application, it would replace functions in the same service area where impacts have occurred, address threats to aquatic resources in the region, is protected by conservation easement and will create high quality wetland habitats.

The project would look to complete restoration in three different manners on the site.

Restoring hydrology to an old hay field that was converted for agricultural use by installing ditches and being drained. The work would restore the old stream channel by plugging a portion of a drainage ditch that has lowered the groundwater table over time and by returning the south fork of Viking Creek to its original alignment.

Restoring the small-scale topography and wetland by removing upland grass sod and decreasing the depth of the water.

Also, the project would establish wetland plant communities and has the potential to restore the spruce/skunk cabbage habitat found within portions of the property that are not disturbed.

The project is planned to be conducted in partnership with local watershed groups including the Whitefish lake Institute, and local consultants, according to the public notice.

Comments on the project are being accepted until Aug. 21, and should be addressed to Nathan Green at the Missoula Regulatory Office, 1600 North Avenue West, Suite 105, Missoula, Montana 59801, or by email at Nathan.J.Green@usace.army.mil. Refer to identification number NWO-2011-01760-MTH in any correspondence concerning this project.

To view the public notice regarding the proposed project, visit https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory-Program/Montana/Public-Notices/