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 one of the project managers, Christopher G.
Davies or Chris Joyner, at 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: Chritopher.G.Davies@usace.army.mil or Chris.J.Joyner@usace.army.mil
Project
Information. Pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of
1899 (33 U.S. Code 403) and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S. Code
1344), notice is hereby given that
Mr. Ted Hertz
Russellville Marina, Boat Repair & Cabins
330 Beach Road
Russellville, Arkansas 72802
has
requested authorization for work,
including the placement of dredged and fill material, in
waters of the United States associated with the installation of a
breakwater at the Russellville Marina.
The proposed project is located in Lake Dardanelle of the Arkansas River,
approximately 1.3 miles north of Navigation Mile (NM) 208.1, in the NW
1/4 of section 2, T. 7 N., R. 21 W., Russellville, Pope County, Arkansas.
The
basic purpose of the project is boating recreation. The overall purpose of the project is to
expand the docking capabilities of recreational boaters on the Arkansas River
near Russellville and Lake Dardanelle State Park. The project is water dependent.
The
project would include a 781-foot-long breakwater structure to be constructed of
18-inch to 24-inch stone riprap with no granular fill. The base of the breakwater will be 80 feet
wide at the deepest locations. An
estimated 18,928 cubic yards of riprap will be required for this project. The
elevation of the top of the structure will be 342 feet above Mean Sea Level. The Ordinary High Water Mark elevation is 338
feet above Mean Sea Level, and the Normal Pool Elevation is 336 feet above Mean
Sea Level at this location.
The
breakwater would facilitate a potential expansion of the marina. Any addition of floating structures to the marina
would be evaluated by the Little Rock District Corps of Engineers, Operations
Division, under 36 CFR 327.19 (Permits).
The
project area is an open water habitat directly adjacent to the Russellville
Marina and Lake Dardanelle State Park. A
floating breakwater is currently sited along a portion of the proposed rock
breakwater structure.
No mitigation in the forms of avoidance, minimization, or compensation has been
proposed for this project.
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.
Floodplain. We are
providing copies of this notice to appropriate floodplain officials in accordance
with 44 CFR Part 60 (Floodplain Management Regulations Criteria for Land
Management and Use) and Executive Order 11988 on Floodplain 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 April
4, 2016. 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, 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 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 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: 35.291091°N Longitude: -93.205955°W
UTM Zone: 15 North: 481214
Northing East: 3905357
Easting