NAO-2020-00984

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District
Published June 17, 2021
Expiration date: 7/15/2021

FEDERAL PUBLIC NOTICE
The District Commander has received a joint application for Federal and State permits as described below:

APPLICANT
Lane Construction 
Attn: Richard McDonough
14500 Avion Parkway, Suite 200
Chantilly, Virginia 20151

PROJECT LOCATION:  The realignment corridor starts along Devlin Road and runs approximately 1.8 miles northeast where it connects to Balls Ford Road and from the Route 234/I-66 interchange for approximately 2 miles south/southeast along the Prince William Parkway.  

PROJECT SIZE: Approximately 1.8 miles northeast and 2 miles south/southeast.

NEAREST WATERWAY: Broad Run and tributaries to Broad Run.

LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE: 38.7898 -77.5584

PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE:  The applicant is proposing the construction of a new interchange to reduce current and future traffic congestion at the intersection of Balls Ford Road and the Prince William County Parkway (Route 234). 

The applicant is proposing permanent impacts to 1.28 acre of wetlands and 3,435 linear feet of stream channel.  The applicant is proposing temporary impacts to 0.01 acre of wetlands and 551 linear feet of stream channel.

AVOIDANCE AND MINIMIZATION:  The applicant provided an onsite and offsite alternatives analysis via the permit application request dated November 23, 2020 and additional information submittals dated February 4, 2021 and March 11, 2021. The alternatives analysis documentation is still under review.  A Corps’ permit will only be issued after all efforts to avoid and minimize impacts have been examined and it is determined the project proposed is the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative. A request for copies of the alternatives analysis documentation can be submitted by either email to anna.r.lawston @usace.army.mil or by regular mail to the address listed below.

COMPENSATORY MITIGATION: The applicant will compensate for all unavoidable impacts to waters of the U.S. through the purchase of stream and wetland mitigation credits from a COE approved stream and wetland mitigation bank or in-lieu fee.

In addition, the applicant must obtain an Individual Section 401 Water Quality Certification or waiver from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) assuring that applicable laws and regulations pertaining to water quality are not violated.   

AUTHORITY: Sections 401 and 404 of the Clean Water Act (Public Law 95-217) and Title 62.1 of the Code of Virginia.

FEDERAL EVALUATION OF APPLICATION:  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.  The decision will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources.  The benefits which reasonably may be expected from the proposal must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments.  All of the proposal's relevant factors will be considered, including conservation, economics, aesthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, cultural values, 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, consideration of property ownership and, in general, the needs and welfare of the people.  The Environmental Protection Agency's "Guidelines for Specification of Disposal Sites for Dredged or Fill Material" will also be applied (Section 404(b)(1) of the Clean Water Act). 

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 direct, indirect, and cumulative 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 (EIS) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act.  Preliminary review of the application indicates that no EIS will be required. 
Comments are also used to determine the need for a public hearing and to determine the overall public interest of the proposed activity.  Anyone may request a public hearing to consider this permit application by writing to the District Commander within 30 days of the date of this notice, stating specific reasons for holding the public hearing.  The District Commander will then decide if a hearing should be held.

ENDANGERED SPECIES: after conducting the Norfolk District Endangered Species Act (ESA) Project Review Process, the Corps has made the preliminary determination that:

The Northern long-eared bat may be affected, but the FWS Information and Planning and Consultation (IPaC) 4(d) determination key was completed. The IPAC Official Species List and Species Conclusion Table are attached for review and comment by the FWS. Additional information might change any of these findings.

HISTORIC AND CULTURAL RESOURCES: Historic Resources eligible for inclusion or included in the NRHP are in or near the Corps permit area and direct coordination will be completed with the State Historic Preservation Office and consulting parties.

ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, as amended by the Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-267), requires all Federal agencies to consult with the NMFS on all actions, or proposed actions, permitted, funded, or undertaken by the agency, that may adversely affect Essential Fish Habitat (EFH). There is no EFH in the Corps area of responsibility.
 
VIRGINIA’S COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM: For compliance with the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended for projects located in Virginia’s Coastal Zone, the applicant must certify that federally licensed or permitted activities affecting Virginia's coastal uses or resources will be conducted in a manner consistent with the Virginia’s Coastal Zone Management Program (Virginia CZM Program), and obtain concurrence from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Office of Environmental Impact Review (OEIR). It is the applicant’s responsibility to submit a consistency certification to the OEIR for concurrence or objection, and proof of concurrence must be submitted to the Corps prior to final permit issuance. A template federal consistency certification can be found in the Federal Consistency Manual here: https://www.deq.virginia.gov/permits-regulations/environmental-impact-review/federal-consistency .  For more information or to obtain a list of the enforceable policies of the Virginia CZM Program, contact the DEQ-OEIR at (804) 698-4204 or e-mail: bettina.rayfield@deq.virginia.gov. No concurrence is required because the project is not located within Virginia’s Coastal Zone.

VIRGINIA’S SECTION 401 WATER QUALITY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM: The applicant must obtain, from the Virginia DEQ, a Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification for any federal license or permit that authorizes an activity that may result in a discharge into waters of the U.S. (40 CFR Part 121).  As the Certifying Authority, the Virginia DEQ may grant, grant with conditions, or deny a certification request.  Alternatively, the Virginia DEQ may waive, expressly or implicitly, its authority to act on a certification request.  In either case, a written notice of waiver from DEQ (expressly waived) or from the Corps (implicitly waived), satisfies the project proponent’s requirement to obtain certification. 

PRE-FILING MEETING (PFM)
The applicant has requested a PFM with DEQ on April 6, 2021

COMMENT PERIOD:  Comments on this project should be in writing and can be sent by either email to anna.r.lawston @usace.army.mil, or by regular mail, addressed to the Norfolk District, Corps of Engineers, The Amissville Field Office, Post Office Box 489, Amissville, VA 20106, and should be received by the close of business on July 15, 2021

PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY:  Comments and information, including the identity of the submitter, submitted in response to this Public Notice may be disclosed, reproduced, and distributed at the discretion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  Information that is submitted in connection with this Public Notice cannot be maintained as confidential by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  Submissions should not include any information that the submitter seeks to preserve as confidential. 

If you have any questions about this project or the permit process, contact Ms. Anna Lawston at 540-764-4459 or anna.lawston@usace.army.mil