American Mitigation Company (AMC) received approval for the Point Farm Salt Marsh Mitigation Bank (PFSMMB). The 1,313-acre bank is located on Wadmalaw Island in Charleston County, SC. The USACE approved the bank in June 2021. The bank will result in the protection and restoration of 1,166 acres of tidal salt marsh and 147 acres of upland buffers. The bank is in the Edisto watershed and serves the entire Charleston area. Mitigation credits from the bank can also be used in other watersheds in coastal SC.
The bank includes:
The enhancement of a 23-acre brackish water impoundment
The restoration of a 15-acre freshwater impoundment
The restoration of 15 acres of old agricultural fields to tidal saltmarsh.
The preservation of over 1,107 acres of saltmarsh.
Specific goals within the Bank include:
Preserve existing functional tidal channels that have a hydrological and ecological connection with the North Edisto River and Leadenwah Creek watersheds and floodplains;
Restore connections and normal flow regimes within existing slightly brackish and saltwater impoundments to promote tidal exchange with the Leadenwah Creek;
Establish natural hydroperiods, hydrodynamics, and vegetative communities within restoration and/or enhancement wetland areas to reflect the tidal ranges and vegetation structure of nearby reference wetlands;
Preserve existing uplands that provide filtration of floodwaters and habitat corridors within the floodplain of the Leadenwah Creek; and
Improve hydraulic and biological connectivity to reflect a more natural tidal condition.
The Conservation Easement is held by Unique Places to Save.
Aerial view of Point Farm Salt Marsh Mitigation Bank
