CENAO-WRR
NAO-2020-00850
FEDERAL PUBLIC NOTICE
The District Commander has received a joint permit application for Federal and State permits as described below:
APPLICANT
Appalachian Power Company
Leesville Hydroelectric Plant
3350 Gallows Road
Gretna, Virginia 24557
PROJECT LOCATION: The project is located at the confluence of the Pigg River with Leesville Lake in Bedford and Pittsylvania Counties, Virginia
PROJECT SIZE: The project involves 1,166 linear feet channel ward encroachment, 76 cubic yards of fill material, and an additional clearing of 40,496 square feet of shoreline vegetation.
NEAREST WATERWAY: Leesville Lake, Pigg River, Smith River.
LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE: 37.005833 latitude, - 79.480139 longitude
PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE: As part of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license for Appalachian Power Company's (APCo) Smith Mountain Hydroelectric Project, APCo has a debris management plan that is part of its FERC license requirements that assigns certain responsibilities for management, collection, and removal of debris from the Smith Mountain Project including Leesville Reservoir. The proposed project seeks to fulfill that responsibility by constructing a floating boom system to manage debris more efficiently. The debris being transported into Leesville reservoir from the Pigg River is estimated to be 65-75% of the debris load entering the reservoir. The preferred alternative boom system requires thirteen (13) pilings, 1,155’ of boom material and a land anchor. Each piling contains three (3) micro piles socketed into bedrock encased in grout filled 9.625” steel casings and sleeved by a 36" diameter steel pipe backfilled with grout and capped. A land anchor is cored a minimum of 25’ into solid rock on the shoreline. Approximately 40,946 square feet of shoreline vegetation / trees is cleared to facilitate the construction of the land anchor. Construction of the land anchor also involves, approximately 2,351.5 cubic yard of material removed from the shoreline below EL. 620' (presumed OHWM elevation) and approximately 76 cubic yards of fill material placed for stabilization purposes.
AVOIDANCE AND MINIMIZATION: The applicant examined three (3) alternatives to this proposed project, the preferred alternative described above, a second alternative, and a no action alternative. The second alternative places sixteen (16) piles including several battered pile locations and a similar land anchor system. The no action alternative is to continue to manage debris scattered throughout the reservoir by a less efficient skimmer boat.
The preferred alternative boom system requires thirteen (13) pilings, 1,155’ of boom material and a land anchor. Each piling contains three (3) micro piles socketed into bedrock encased in grout filled 9.625” steel casings and sleeved by a 36" diameter steel pipe backfilled with grout and capped. The land anchor is cored a minimum of 25’ into solid rock on the shoreline. Approximately 40,946 square feet of shoreline vegetation / trees is cleared to facilitate the construction of the land anchor, as well as approximately 2,351.5 cubic yard of material removed from the shoreline below EL. 620' (presumed OHWM elevation). Approximately 76 cubic yards of fill material is placed for stabilization purposes.
The second alternative requires sixteen (16) piles including several battered pile locations and a similar land anchor system to the preferred alternative.
The no action alternative is to continue to manage debris scattered throughout the reservoir by a less efficient skimmer boat.
COMPENSATORY MITIGATION: No compensation or mitigation is proposed as no mitigation for open water is generally available or desirable.
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.
A copy of the joint permit application can be found on the Virginia Marine Resources Commission’s website https://webapps.mrc.virginia.gov/public/habitat/getPDF.php?id=20241794
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).
( ) Section 14 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 408 (Section 408)).
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:
No listed/proposed/candidate species and/or designated/proposed critical habitat under the ESA 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 (FWS) or National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is required.
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).
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/our-programs/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.
No concurrence is required because the project is not located within Virginia’s Coastal Zone.
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 chester.c.bigelow@usace.army.mil, or by regular mail, addressed to the Norfolk District, Corps of Engineers (ATTN: CENAO-WRR), 803 Front Street, Norfolk, VA 23510-1011, and should be received by the close of business on October 20, 2024.
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 Mr. Chester Bigelow,chester.c.bigelow@usace.army.mil, (540) 982-3841.
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