MVP Southgate Pipeline Wins Key North Carolina Water Quality Approval

North Carolina has issued a Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certification for the MVP Southgate natural gas pipeline, clearing the 5.2-mile project to advance with conditions to protect streams, wetlands and private wells.

(P&GJ) — The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) has approved a Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certification for Mountain Valley Pipeline’s Southgate Project, clearing a major state-level hurdle for the proposed natural gas line.

The certification concludes DWR’s review of MVP Southgate’s application to build a 5.2-mile, 30-inch natural gas transmission pipeline in Rockingham County. According to the agency, the project can meet state water quality standards with the conditions imposed in the certification, which are intended to protect wildlife habitat, aquatic resources, recreation, agriculture and drinking water supply.

DWR received more than 2,400 public comments on the project and held a public hearing on Aug. 12. A summary of comments and agency responses is available in the hearing officer’s report.

As proposed, construction would temporarily affect 720 linear feet of streams—about one-seventh of a mile—and three acres of wetlands. The project also would permanently convert three acres of forested wetlands to shrub-dominated wetlands and permanently impact 52 linear feet of intermittent streams at culvert locations.

In its review, DWR evaluated whether MVP Southgate’s design avoided and minimized impacts, whether remaining impacts would violate state water quality standards, and whether mitigation and restoration plans adequately offset unavoidable effects.

Under the certification, MVP Southgate must:

• Provide an environmental inspector during all in-stream work and hold a pre-construction compliance meeting
• Narrow the construction corridor across wetlands and streams
• Restore and monitor temporarily disturbed areas using native plants and best management practices
• Identify all private wells within the construction area and provide pre- and post-construction testing upon request for wells within 150 feet of disturbance

To protect sensitive aquatic species, MVP must also use trenchless water-crossing methods in areas where those species are present.

The project’s permanent stream impacts fall below the threshold that automatically triggers compensatory mitigation requirements. However, MVP Southgate will still offset impacts to 52 linear feet of streams and three acres of wetland conversion as part of its mitigation plan.