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TOWN OF MORRISVILLE
ES-2
impacts of the projects, these documents will reference the SCIMMP for SCI, avoiding
redundancy.
The Town entered into an MOA in 2005 with NCDENR that outlines how the SCIMMP
document will be used, the time period during which it can be cited in individual EAs and
EISs, and under what circumstances it must be updated more frequently. An amendment to
the MOA clarified the reporting dates. Per the MOA, the period of applicability is 30 years
with a SCIMMP update required every 10 years. For this reason, this updated SCIMMP has
been developed to take effect in 2015.
The study area for the SCIMMP document consists of the Town’s Planning Area. The Town
is bounded by Research Triangle Park (RTP), the Town of Cary, and the Raleigh-Durham
International Airport (RDU); and these boundaries form the Planning Area, which is
approximately 10 square miles in size.
Infrastructure
– In 2006, the Town of Cary obtained the ownership and operation of the
Town’s water and wastewater infrastructure. The Town developed long-range plans for
providing services to its residents in a manner that will protect water quality, air quality,
open space, and wildlife habitat. The Town promotes orderly growth through development
and implementation of its Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and zoning. The Town’s
water is supplied via the Cary/Apex Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and its wastewater is
treated at the North Cary Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) and the Western Wake
Regional Water Reclamation Facility (WWRWRF).
The Town integrates its infrastructure plans with its other planning processes, and
understands that infrastructure planning strategies must be formulated and implemented in
a manner to balance the competing goals of growth and the environment. The Town is also
working with the Town of Cary to improve efficiency of the combined water distribution
and wastewater collection systems. By integrating its land use planning strategies and
infrastructure plans, the Town preserves important ecological areas in the form of open
space; ensures that its residents have adequate recreational resources; and meets water,
wastewater, and transportation demands.
Existing Conditions
– Within the Planning Area, existing environmental conditions were
assessed to facilitate the identification of potential SCI impacts to the natural environment as
growth occurs. Of particular concern is the potential for impacts to Federally listed
threatened or endangered species.
The SCIMMP addresses the presence of potential habitat for protected species within the
Planning Area. Within Wake County, Federally listed species include the bald eagle
(
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
), dwarf wedgemussel (
Alasmidonta heterodon
), and Michaux’s sumac
(
Rhus michaux
). The bald eagle (
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
) is present near the Planning Area at
Jordan Lake and Lake Crabtree, and is protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection
Act (BGPA). According to the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program (NHP), no rare
freshwater mussel species are present upstream of Lake Crabtree. Therefore, it is thought
that these mussels are not present within the Planning Area. The other Federally listed
species, Michaux’s sumac (
Rhus michaux
) and Northern long-eared bat (
Myotis
septentrionalis
), are known to occur in other parts of Wake County and not in the Planning
Area. No current records for any of these species exist within the Planning Area.