NAO-2016-00624

Published Sept. 28, 2017
Expiration date: 10/28/2017
FEDERAL PUBLIC NOTICE

The District Engineer received a prospectus to establish a wetland compensatory mitigation site for federal and state permits as described below:

BANK SPONSOR
Mid-Atlantic Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMaC)
Regional Industrial Facility Authority (RIFA)
c/o Greensville County
K. David Whittington
1781 Greensville County Circle
Emporia, Virginia 23847 

WATERWAY AND LOCATION OF THE PROPOSED WORK:  he proposed mitigation site (Site) is located on approximately 192.62 acres of exiting row crops. The Site is located in the Mill Swamp drainage basin which is a tributary to the Chowan River in Greensville County, Virginia. 

PROPOSED WORK AND PURPOSE: The sponsor proposes to establish, design, construct, and operate a single-user compensatory wetland Site to be known as the Low Ground Mitigation Bank. The purpose of the project is to provide off-site compensatory mitigation for RIFA projects that result in unavoidable impacts to wetlands and other waters of the United States in the Chowan River Drainage Basin.   

The Sponsor plans to create 33.48 acres of wetlands, to restore 2.36 acres of wetlands, to enhance 2.19 acres of wetlands, to restore 30.00 acres of upland buffer and to preserve 124.59 acres of forested wetlands and uplands.

The Sponsor proposes, for purposes of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, that the geographic service area of this Site would include the National Watershed Boundary Dataset Hydrologic Unit Codes 03010201 and 03010204. This proposed service area would include portions of Greensville County, Mecklenburg County, and the City of Emporia in the state of Virginia.    

Oversight of this Site would be by an existing group of federal and state agency representatives.This interagency oversight group is known as the Interagency Review Team (IRT). The Norfolk District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality chair the IRT.   

This Site may be one of a number of practicable options available to applicants to compensate for unavoidable wetland impacts associated with permits issued under the authority of Section 404 and 401 of the Clean Water Act (Public Law 95-217) in Virginia. 

The actual approval of the use of this Site for a specific project is the decision of the Corps pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and/or by the Department of Environmental Quality pursuant to Section 401 of the Clean Water Act and Title 62.1 of the Code of Virginia. The Corps and the Department of Environmental Quality provide no guarantee that any particular individual or general permit will be granted authorization to use this Site to compensate for unavoidable wetland impacts associated with a proposed permit. Authorization by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission may also be required for its use for specific projects. 

AUTHORITY: Issuance of a public notice regarding proposed mitigation sites is required pursuant to the “Compensatory Mitigation for Losses of Aquatic Resources; Final Rule,” (Rule) as published in the April 10, 2008, Federal Register, Vol. 73, No. 70, Pages 19594-19705 (33 CFR Parts 325 and 332). 

FEDERAL EVALUATION OF PROPOSAL: 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 this proposed Site. This is not an application for work in Waters of the United States. The Corps of Engineers in evaluating this proposal will consider any comments received. Comments are used to assess impacts on endangered species, historic properties, water quality, conservation, economics, aesthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, flood plain values, land use classification, navigation, shoreline erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy needs, safety, food and fiber production, mineral needs, and consideration of property ownership.   

Preliminary review indicates that:  (1) no environmental impact statement would be required; (2) after conducting the NAO ESA Project Review Process, no listed/proposed/candidate species and/or designated/proposed critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531-1544, 87 Stat. 884), as amended) will be affected.  Based on this no effect determination, no further coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is required; (3) no known properties eligible for inclusion or included in the National Register of Historic Places are within the permit area. Additional information might change any of these findings.  

COMMENT PERIOD:  Comments on this project should be made in writing, addressed to the Norfolk District, Corps of Engineers- (ATTN: Jeanne Richardson CENAO-WRR), PO Box 3160, Lynchburg, Virginia  24503, and should be received by the close of business on October 28, 2017. The Prospectus and Drawings can be viewed at

https://ribits.usace.army.mil/ribits_apex/f?p=107:278:13310767899680::NO:RP,278:P278_BANK_ID:4805 

If you have any questions about this Site, please contact:  

Jeanne Richardson

PO Box 3160

Lynchburg, VA 24503

jeanne.c.richardson@usace.army.mil

434.384.0182