CENAO-WRR, NAO-2014-00134 / VMRC 22-V1521

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Norfolk District
Published Nov. 7, 2022
Expiration date: 12/7/2022

CENAO-WRR                        November 7, 2022        
 
NAO-2014-00134 / VMRC 22-V1521

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

APPLICANT
Mr. Jon Farinholt
Stingray Point Boat Works, LLC
19047 General Puller Highway
Deltaville, VA 23043 


PROJECT LOCATION:  The project is located at Stingray Point Boat Works on Broad Creek at 19047 General Puller Highway, in Middlesex County, Virginia. 

PROJECT SIZE: 0.20 acres

NEAREST WATERWAY: Broad Creek

LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE: 37.5616, -76.3093

PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE:  The applicant proposes to make improvements to an existing boat repair facility on Broad Creek to include 1,744 cubic yards (0.16 acre) of dredging, one new travel lift slip, two new service slips, a bulkhead, and a living shoreline. The dredged material will be mechanically dredged utilizing an excavator on land, then placed in a dump truck, allowed to de-water onsite, then moved off-site to an approved upland site (Tax Map 40 34 5A, General Puller Highway). The project will result in the loss of 0.01 acre of tidal non-vegetated wetlands and 0.08 acre of uplands; the relocation of 0.03 acre of tidal vegetated wetlands; and temporary impacts to 0.07 acre of subaqueous bottom. In addition, temporary impacts associated with noise and turbidity will occur during piling installation and dredging operations. (See attached plans) 

The purpose of the project is to make improvements to an existing boat repair facility by adding one new travel lift slip and two new service slips; and performing maintenance dredging on an existing travel lift slip. 

AVOIDANCE AND MINIMIZATION:  Pilings will be installed via vibratory hammer, and in-water work will not take place from February 15 to June 30 of any given year to protect migrating anadromous fishes. Pile driving will be initiated for 15 seconds at reduced energy followed by a one-minute waiting period. This sequence of 15 seconds of reduced energy driving and one-minute waiting period will be repeated two additional times, followed immediately by pile-driving at full rate and energy. During dredging operations, the applicant will install a turbidity curtain around the perimeter to reduce silt flow back into the water. A filter cloth will be installed within the dump body of the dump truck to minimize sediment discharge back into the water. The dredged material will be transported to an approved upland site. 

COMPENSATORY MITIGATION: The applicant proposes on-site permittee responsible mitigation by relocating 0.03 acre of existing tidal wetland vegetation from the impacted area to the western side of the new travel lift slip. Pine trees within this proposed mitigation area will be removed in order for the vegetation to receive adequate sunlight. In addition, the applicant proposes planting four canopy trees, eight understory trees and twelve small shrubs within 100 feet of this shoreline.

Proposed Monitoring Plan: All plants will be monitored by owner on a monthly basis for a two-year time frame, replacing any that have died or disappeared.

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.   

The applicant must obtain a permit from the Middlesex County Wetlands Board. 

A copy of the joint permit application can be found by searching for application number 20221521 on the Virginia Marine Resources Commission’s website: https://webapps.mrc.virginia.gov/public/habitat/index.php.

AUTHORITY: 

(X)     Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403).

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

( )    Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 
    (33 U.S.C. 1413).

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 and no further coordination with the FWS is required.

There may be an effect to listed/proposed/candidate species and/or designated/proposed critical habitat under the ESA of 1973. The IPaC Official Species List and Species Conclusion Table are attached for review and comment by the FWS and the NMFS.

Additional information might change any of these findings.

HISTORIC AND CULTURAL RESOURCES:

No known Historic Resources eligible for inclusion or included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) are in or near the Corps permit area or would likely be affected by the proposal.
Additional information may change any of these findings. 

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).

Broad Creek contains EFH for the adult, juvenile, eggs, larvae, and neonate life stages of nine (9) species including Little Skate, Atlantic Herring, Red Hake, Winter Hake, Clearnose Skate, Windowpane Flounder, Sandbar Shark, Bluefish, and Summer Flounder. The habitat which this project would affect consists of shallow water, mud flats, and intertidal wetlands. The applicant has proposed a time-of-year restriction and  in-water work will not take place from February 15 to June 30 of any given year to protect migrating anadromous fishes The proposed project is described in Proposed Work and Purpose, above.  Our assessment of the project leads us to a preliminary determination that it will not have a substantial adverse effect on EFH and therefore expanded EFH consultation is not required. Our rationale for this preliminary determination is based on the expected short-term nature of the direct impacts; minimal increases in turbidity; minimal changes in water temperature or salinity caused by the proposed work; and the absence of submerged aquatic vegetation. Based on comments from the National Marine Fisheries Service in response to this public notice, further EFH consultation may be necessary.

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) 659-1915 or e-mail: bettina.rayfield@deq.virginia.gov.

The applicant has not submitted concurrence.


VIRGINIA’S SECTION 401 WATER QUALITY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM: The Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401 Certification Rule (Certification Rule, 40 CFR 121), effective September 11, 2020, requires certification, or waiver, for any license or permit that authorizes an activity that may result in a discharge. The scope of a CWA Section 401 certification is limited to ensuring that a discharge from a Federally licensed or permitted activity will comply with water quality requirements. To comply with the Virginia Section 401 Water Quality Certification Program and the Certification Rule, the applicant is responsible for adhering to the procedures outlined in the Certification Rule when requesting certification from the certifying authority, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. In accordance with Certification Rule part 121.12, the Corps will notify the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator when it has received a Department of the Army (DA) permit application and the related certification. The Administrator is responsible for determining whether the discharge may affect water quality in a neighboring jurisdiction. The DA permit may not be issued pending the conclusion of the Administrator’s determination of effects on neighboring jurisdictions.

COMMENT PERIOD:  Comments on this project should be in writing and can be sent by either email to nancy.p.davis@usace.army.mil, or by regular mail, addressed to the Norfolk District, Corps of Engineers (ATTN:  CENAO-WRR, Nancy Davis), 803 Front Street, Norfolk, VA  23510-1011, and should be received by the close of business on December 9, 2022.

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. Nancy Davis, nancy.p.davis@usace.army.mil, (757) 401-8913.

Attachments: