Bandit Farms Mitigation Site

About the project

RestorEcology gained approval for a riparian buffer and nutrient offset restoration project at a winery in the headwaters of Morgan Creek, a tributary to Jordan Lake in Orange County, North Carolina. More than 17 acres of cropland were planted with native hardwood trees to lessen nutrient inputs to the streams and restore forested stream buffers.

Morgan Creek flows through Chapel Hill and Carrboro before reaching the Upper New Hope arm of Jordan Lake, one of the Triangle’s most important drinking-water reservoirs. Restoring the creek’s headwaters keeps nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment out of the lake at the source.

Credits available

The project’s service area is the Upper New Hope sub-watershed of Jordan Lake. It generates three kinds of credits to offset buffer and stormwater impacts from development:

• Riparian buffer credits for impacts authorized under the Jordan Lake riparian buffer rules
• Nitrogen (lb) and phosphorus (lb) nutrient offset credits for new development that cannot meet the Jordan Lake stormwater nutrient loading targets on site

Under the Jordan Lake rules, nutrient offset credits must come from a project in the same sub-watershed as the impact. Bandit Farms serves projects in the Upper New Hope arm, which includes much of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, southwest Durham and northern Chatham County.

Request a quote with your project location and quantities. We confirm availability by email and issue a Credit Transfer Certificate and ledger copy once payment is received.

Long-term protection

The planted buffer is protected by a recorded conservation easement. After successful monitoring, RestorEcology funds an endowment so a long-term steward maintains the easement in perpetuity, while the family continues to farm the rest of the property.