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, Rocky Presley,
telephone number: (501) 340-1390, mailing address: Little Rock District Corps of Engineers, Branson
Regulatory Field Office, 4600 Hwy 165, Branson, Missouri 65616, email address: Rocky.L.Presley@usace.army.mil.
Project
Information. Pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.
Code 1344), notice is hereby given that
Greene County Highway Department
2065 North Clifton Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65803
has
requested authorization for the
placement of dredged and fill material in
waters of the United States associated with proposed roadway and drainage improvements
to West Republic Road between Golden Avenue and Highway FF. The proposed project is located in an
unnamed tributary to Wilson Creek, in sections 8, 9, and 17, T. 28 N., R. 22 W., Springfield,
Greene County, Missouri.
The
basic purpose of the project is to improve a roadway and drainage facilities. The overall purpose of the project is to
safely accommodate increased traffic volumes and to alleviate flooding of the
roadway and adjoining properties along this section of West Republic Road. The project is not water dependent.
The
project involves widening the roadway from 2 lanes to 5 lanes and installing concrete
curb and gutters, sidewalks, and bicycle lanes.
The project construction would require rechannelizing approximately
1,400 linear feet of a previously impacted tributary running along the north
side of the road. The new channel would
be constructed on the existing alignment between two road crossings within the
project segment. Proposed work involves excavating
approximately 9,900 cubic yards to create a trapezoidal channel with a
15-foot-wide base. The low-flow channel
base would be lined with concrete and the upper portion of the channel would be
vegetated to transition into the adjoining residential yards. The construction also includes replacing an existing
section of concrete-lined ditch along 200 linear feet of the channel at the downstream
end of the project.
The
existing drainage channel is unable to convey minor storm events which results
in the overtopping of Republic Road and flooding of adjacent homes. The current conditions pose a safety hazard to
motorists and pedestrians and often result in closures of the road, which
serves as a major arterial roadway for this area. The proposed flood channel would have the
capacity to convey a 100-year storm event and would minimize flood impacts to the
roadway and 33 residences.
The
project would also include replacement of an existing box culvert on Republic
Road at the west end of the project area.
This involves construction of a new 3-cell box culvert to be extended to
a total of 124 feet to accommodate a wider roadway. The stream channel downstream of the box
culvert would be stabilized by installing 70 linear feet of articulating
concrete block mats to allow vegetation growth through the open-cell
design. The existing 2-cell box culvert
on Meadowlark Drive would also be replaced as part of this project.
The
unnamed tributary was previously relocated along the roadway several decades
ago during development of residential lots.
The stream has been heavily disturbed and provides limited aquatic
habitat within an extensively developed residential area of Springfield. Currently, approximately 620 linear feet of
the channel is composed of grouted concrete over rocks and has been maintained
as a roadside ditch. The remaining 780
linear feet of stream in the project area flows through a narrow vegetated
corridor between the existing road embankment and cleared residential lawns. The County considered other feasible project
alternatives to minimize stream impacts, but was limited to the current design
due to road right-of-way constraints and limited available property through the
project corridor.
The
applicant proposes to provide compensatory mitigation for all unavoidable stream
impacts through the Stream Stewardship Trust Fund In-lieu Fee Program.
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 certification
from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources that the operation of the
proposed facility will apparently not violate the existing water quality
criteria of the State of Missouri. The
Commission hereby gives notice of its intent to certify this construction. A Corps of Engineers permit will not be
issued until such certification has been granted. Commenters are requested to furnish a copy of
their comments to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
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 May
23, 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: 37.13866 Longitude: -93.34939
UTM Zone: 15 North: 4110312 East: 468968