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. An electronic copy of the Rattlesnake Creek Mitigation Bank (RCMB) Service Area figure can be viewed on the Little Rock District, Regulatory Division webpage at http://www.swl.usace. army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/PublicNotices.aspx or a hard copy can be obtained from the Corps of Engineers through the contact information listed above.
Project Information. Pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S. Code 1344), notice is hereby given that
Mr. Mitch Wine
Grotto Springs Ranch, LLC
101 Newnata Cutoff
Mountain View, Arkansas 72560
has requested a change in service area for the RCMB. The RCMB prospectus was initially public noticed in March 2012. The RCMB Instrument was signed and approved by the District Engineer in January 2014. A description of the current and proposed service areas for RCMB is included below. Any public comments received will be distributed to the Interagency Review Team (IRT) and the sponsor, including any comments made during this time by IRT members. The IRT is made up of the Corps and the pertinent state and Federal resource agencies. The IRT will review the proposed service area expansion and coordinate with Mr. Mitch Wine on any issues. Finally, the District Engineer will review the proposed service area and make a decision to approve or not approve.
The RCMB is approximately 165 acres in size and is located in Rattlesnake Hollow in sections 16 and 21, T. 14 N., R. 12 W., Timbo, Stone County, Arkansas.
The RCMB site lies within the Middle White River 8-digit (11010004) hydrologic unit code (HUC) as designated by the U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS). Currently, the approved primary geographic service area for the bank is the Middle White River 8-digit HUC and the portions of the Little Red River 8-digit HUC that do not support threatened or endangered species (see attached map). The secondary service area is the Buffalo River (11010005) 8-digit HUC.
The proposed service area expansion would retain the current service area and would increase the secondary service area by adding the portions of the Lower Black (11010009), Strawberry (11010012), Spring (11010010), Eleven Point (11010011), and Current (11010008) 8-digit HUCs that are within Arkansas and within the Ozark Highlands Ecoregion. The current and proposed service area is shown on the enclosed figure.
Public Involvement. Any interested party is invited to submit to the above-listed POC written comments or objections relative to the proposed service area expansion on or before October 5, 2015. 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 service area expansion would be in the public interest. The decision whether to approve this request will be based on an evaluation of the probable impact including cumulative impacts of the proposed service area change 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, floodplain 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 service area expansion. Any comments received will be considered by the Corps of Engineers to determine whether to approve or deny 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 may be used in the preparation of an Environmental Assessment and/or an Environmental Impact Statement pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) if it is determined that NEPA analysis is necessary. 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 proposed service area expansion. 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 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.
Enclosure
Approximate Coordinates of Project Center
Latitude: 35.839724 Longitude: -92.261065
UTM Zone: 15 Northing: 3966423 Easting: 566733