EIP Riverpark Approved: California’s Newest Mitigation Bank
Four state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife recently signed the Bank Enabling Instrument (“BEI”) for the Riverpark Mitigation Bank. Ecosystem Industrial Partners (“EIP”), the Bank Sponsor for Riverpark, hired Mitchell Chadwick to assist with final entitlement, completing the BEI package and negotiating agency approvals. EIP took over entitlement of the Riverpark mitigation bank from the initial sponsor. The process after EIP stepped in involved over 16 months of negotiations, revisions, and refinement of the BEI package.
The Riverpark Mitigation Bank is located in Riverside County, and the bank’s service area includes western Riverside County and portions of San Bernardino County. The bank will offer credits for rehabilitated and re-established Waters of the U.S. and Waters of the State. Future phases will also be added to the current bank. The San Diego Habitat Conservancy will provide long-term management of the bank, while the San Diego Foundation will manage the endowment. The Western Riverside Regional Conservation Authority will hold the conservation easement, along with an additional monitoring endowment.
Both Mitchell Chadwick and EIP have extensive experience completing restoration and conservation projects throughout the Country. The Riverpark Mitigation Bank will be one of EIP’s first projects in California. EIP’s expertise will be welcome in the State and has already been critical to the Riverpark Mitigation Bank approval. In addition to the Riverpark Mitigation Bank, EIP is also working with the California Department of Water Resources on the extensive Lookout Slough restoration project.