Pioneer Estates Mitigation Bank

Pioneer Estates Mitigation Bank

Pioneer Estates Stream Mitigation Bank is located in the Ridge and Valley region of Virginia. It was established for compensatory mitigation for unavoidable impacts to waters of the United States that result from activities under Section 401 and 404 of the Clean Water Act, Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act.

Pioneer Estates is a 587-acre working historic farm located in the South River District of Rockbridge County, Virginia. The property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The house onsite was built in 1796 by John Mackey, a Scottish immigrant and Rockbridge County pioneer. The current property owners are 8th generation descendants of the Mackey family and the property is used as a dairy/beef cattle and row crop farm.

Balzer and Associates, Inc. was contacted to guide the owner through the approval process to achieve the ability to create and sell stream mitigation credits. The approval process included the creation of mitigation bank documents and coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Department of Historical Resources, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, along with other State and Federal regulatory agencies. The mitigation bank documents required for this project included multiple levels of overall and phasing plans, stream restoration design, buffer planting and land protection documentation.