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Development foundation proposes 62-acre wetland bank; Corps prospectus, 5-year monitoring discussed
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Summary
The Brandon Development Foundation presented a plan to restore about 62 acres along a tributary to Beavercreek to create a wetland bank for the Lower Big Sioux River watershed; the Corps of Engineers is in a prospectus-phase review and the foundation asked the council to continue discussion and coordinate with city engineering staff.
Representatives of the Brandon Development Foundation presented a proposal to restore roughly 62 acres of degraded stream and wetland fringe east of town and develop a federally recognized wetland bank whose restoration credits could be sold to projects that impact wetlands in the Lower Big Sioux River watershed.
A foundation representative identified the site as a degraded tributary to Beavercreek and said restoration would generate credits calculated under federal methodology. “South Dakota, it's 5 and a half credits per acre, and it's market driven,” a foundation consultant said when asked how credits are quantified.
The presenters explained the typical process and timeline: the Corps of Engineers prospectus phase is complete and the corps was preparing to issue public notice. The public-notice process would include a 30-day comment period followed by opportunities to respond; the foundation estimated design and instrument work might take a year and construction two to three years after that. The Corps requires a five-year monitoring period after restoration to ensure the mitigation meets performance standards; the foundation said it had been funding consulting work through its own budget to reach this stage.
Councilmembers asked how ownership and transactions would be handled. Staff and presenters said that if the foundation owns the bank and the credits, the foundation can sell credits without the city conducting a procurement process for each transaction; if the city retained ownership of the credits, sales might trigger a formal bidding process for each sale. Presenters said the restored site could also be designed to include a nature/walking area as part of enhancements for the east-side park.
Councilmembers and staff asked for follow-up coordination. Riley (city staff) agreed to set up a meeting with Tim (Development Foundation) and the city engineer to ensure adjacent landowner notice and to move the prospectus to public notice with the Corps. Councilmember Brian volunteered to take a lead role in follow-up conversations.
No formal council action was taken during the presentation; multiple councilmembers signaled support for continuing the conversation and asked staff to return with details so the project would not lapse in the Corps’ intake process.
