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Public Notice Information

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SWL 2012-00244-1

Published Sept. 22, 2014
Expiration date: 10/17/2014

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:  Comments are invited on the work described below.  Please see the Public Involvement section for details on submitting comments.

Point of Contact.  If additional information is desired, please contact the project manager, Lisa Boyle, telephone number:  (501) 324-5295, mailing address:  Little Rock District Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Division, PO Box 867, Little Rock, Arkansas  72203-0867, email address:  Lisa.A.Boyle@usace.army.mil

Project Information.  Pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S. Code 1344), notice is hereby given that

                                                Mr. Mike Kemp
                                                
City of Shannon Hills
                                                
10401 High Street
                                                
Shannon Hills, Arkansas  72103

has requested authorization for the placement of dredged and fill material in waters of the United States associated with construction of a 460,000-cubic-foot detention basin and drainage improvements to the creek downstream utilizing various techniques, alternating reshaping the earthen stream bed and constructing a 3-foot-wide concrete bed with riprap along the banks.  The total length of the proposed project is approximately 3,000 linear feet.  The proposed project is located in an intermittent unnamed tributary of Otter Creek, in section 21, T. 1 S., R. 13 W., Shannon Hills, Saline County, Arkansas.

The basic purpose of the project is flood control.  The overall purpose of the project is to alleviate flooding of residences in a neighborhood between Joan Drive and Clayton Drive within the City of Shannon Hills.  The project is water dependent.

The proposed project consists of construction of a detention basin at the base of Alexander Mountain on an unnamed tributary to Otter Creek, which will collect and slowly release storm water.  Downstream of this detention basin, the proposal includes reshaping the existing channelized stream.  Please see Sheets 1 and 2 of 25 for specific information regarding the stream stabilization methods.

The stream enters the project area at the base of Alexander Mountain in the utility right-of-way.  The channel is naturally sinuous throughout, but due to the utility right-of-way the riparian corridor is limited to herbaceous plants.  Within the neighborhood, the stream has been straightened and channelized, though there are numerous trees throughout.

As compensatory mitigation, the applicant proposes restoration and enhancement of the stream.  Bank stabilization would be achieved by reshaping the typical stream section to moderate side slopes and installing stone in areas of high potential for erosion.  Avoidance and minimization has been achieved by largely maintaining the existing alignment of the stream, utilizing temporary erosion control measures during construction, and ensuring that no construction activities would take place just prior to, during or immediately following a rain event until all water has discharged from the stream.

The location and general plan for the proposed work are shown on the enclosed sheets.

Water Quality Certification.  By copy of this public notice, the applicant is requesting water quality certification from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) in accordance with Section 401(a)(1) of the Clean Water Act.  Upon completion of the comment period and a public hearing, if held, a determination relative to water quality certification will be made.  Evidence of this water quality certification or waiver of the right to certify must be submitted prior to the issuance of a Corps of Engineers permit.

Cultural Resources.  A Corps staff archeologist will review topographic maps, the National Register of Historic Places, and other data on reported sites in the area.  The District Engineer invites responses to this public notice from Native American Nations or tribal governments; Federal, State, and local agencies; historical and archeological societies; and other parties likely to have knowledge of or concerns with historic properties in the area.

Endangered Species.  Our preliminary determination is that the proposed activity will not affect listed Endangered Species or their critical habitat.  A copy of this notice is being furnished to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and appropriate state agencies and constitutes a request to those agencies for information on whether any listed or proposed‑to‑be‑listed endangered or threatened species may be present in the area which would be affected by the proposed activity.

Flood Plain.  We are providing copies of this notice to appropriate flood plain officials in accordance with 44 CFR Part 60 (Flood Plain Management Regulations Criteria for Land Management and Use) and Executive Order 11988 on Flood Plain Management.

Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines.  The evaluation of activities to be authorized under this permit which involves the discharge of dredged or fill material will include application of guidelines promulgated by the Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, under authority of Section 404(b) of the Clean Water Act.  These guidelines are contained in 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 230.

Public Involvement.  Any interested party is invited to submit to the above-listed POC written comments or objections relative to the proposed work on or before October 17, 2014.  Substantive comments, both favorable and unfavorable, will be accepted and made a part of the record and will receive full consideration in determining whether this work would be in the public interest.  The decision whether to issue a permit will be based on an evaluation of the probable impact including cumulative impacts of the proposed activity on the public interest.  That decision will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources.  The benefit which reasonably may be expected to accrue from the proposal must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments.  All factors which may be relevant to the proposal will be considered including the cumulative effects thereof; among those are conservation, economics, aesthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, historic properties, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, flood plain values, land use, navigation, shoreline erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy needs, safety, food and fiber production, mineral needs, considerations of property ownership and, in general, the needs and welfare of the people.

The Corps of Engineers is soliciting comments from the public; Federal, state, and local agencies and officials; Indian Tribes; and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of this proposed activity.  Any comments received will be considered by the Corps of Engineers to determine whether to issue, modify, condition or deny a permit for this proposal.  To make this decision, comments are used to assess impacts on endangered species, historic properties, water quality, general environmental effects, and the other public interest factors listed above.  Comments are used in the preparation of an Environmental Assessment and/or an Environmental Impact Statement pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act.  Comments are also used to determine the need for a public hearing and to determine the overall public interest of the proposed activity.

Any person may request in writing within the comment period specified in this notice that a public hearing be held to consider this application.  Requests for public hearings shall state, with particularity, the reasons for holding a public hearing.  The District Engineer will determine if the issues raised are substantial and whether a hearing is needed for making a decision.

NOTE:  The mailing list for this Public Notice is arranged by state and county(s) where the project is located, and also includes any addressees who have asked to receive copies of all public notices.  Please discard notices that are not of interest to you.  If you have no need for any of these notices, please advise us so that your name can be removed from the mailing list.

Enclosures

Approximate Coordinates of Project Center

Latitude:  34.622804                 Longitude:  -92.406183

UTM Zone:  15          North:  3831375          East:  554415