Site work for a development in Edisto Island, South Carolina. Conceptual plans call for site work for a development.

WATERWAY AND LOCATION: The proposed wetland mitigation bank site is located off Jehossee Road, approximately 0.7 miles west of the intersection with SC State Highway 174, on the northwestern edge of Edisto Island, Charleston County South Carolina, (Latitude: 32.608567 _, Longitude: -80.361515 _), Edisto Island SC U.S. Geological Service Quadrangle sheets EXISTING CONDITIONS: The proposed 444.1-acre mitigation site includes approximately 229.96 acres of coastal wetlands, 15,311 linear feet of tidal creeks, and 56.49 acres of non tidal wetlands. The site has been intensively drained for agricultural and silvicultural uses. The Bank contains approximately 1,710 linear feet of jurisdictional ditches and 81,500 linear feet of non-jurisdictional ditches. There are approximately 164.16 acres of uplands within the Bank. These areas consist of both drained hydric soils suitable for restoration and non-hydric soils. PROPOSED WORK: This mitigation work plan outlines a comprehensive effort to restore, enhance, and preserve a variety of coastal habitats. The entire Bank will be permanently protected through a conservation easement. The plan includes the restoration of approximately 37.7 acres of coastal marsh, 7.3 acres of estuarine fringe forest, and 50.8 acres of pine flatwoods. The primary goals are to reverse the impacts of historical land-use practices, such as the construction of dikes and agricultural conversion, by restoring natural tidal flow, re-establishing native vegetation, and implementing management practices like prescribed burns. In total, the plan also incorporates 15.2 acres of upland buffer to protect the sensitive ecosystems. The specific actions detailed in the plan include restoring 37.7 acres of coastal marsh by grading filled areas to appropriate tidal elevations and planting native marsh grasses. Tidal exchange will be enhanced in other areas by removing dikes and culverts, which will restore critical nursery habitats and normal tidal flow to former tidal creek channels. About 50.8 acres of pine flatwoods will be restored by harvesting the current monoculture of loblolly pine and replanting with native longleaf pine, complemented by a prescribed fire regimen. Additionally, the plan provides for the preservation of a unique Bird Management Area (BMA), protects approximately 5,327 linear feet of larger tidal creeks, and establishes 15.2 acres of upland buffer to protect the wetlands from runoff and future disturbances. SCDES will receive written comments about the proposed work, as outlined above, until April 9, 2026. Comments may be submitted directly to the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services by email at WQCWetlands@des.sc.gov and OCRMPermitting@des.sc.gov.