FEDERAL PUBLIC NOTICE
The District Commander has received a joint application for Federal and State permits as described below:
APPLICANT
Mr. Byron Mobley, Trustee
U.S. Trust – Bank of America
P.O. Box 25718
Richmond, Virginia 23260
WATERWAY AND LOCATION OF THE PROPOSED WORK: The project is located along the northern shore of the Rappahannock River near the confluence with Totuskey and Richardson Creek in Richmond County, Virginia. The Rappahannock River is a tributary to the Chesapeake Bay.
PROPOSED WORK AND PURPOSE: The applicant proposes to construct five (5) variable length offshore stone breakwaters, six (6) stone sills of varying length, a 68 linear foot stone spur, and a 352 linear foot stone revetment. Approximately 15000 cubic yards of beach quality sand will be utilized as beach nourishment landward of the breakwaters and sills. The proposed structures will encroach a maximum of 150 channelward of mean high water, permanently impact approximately 1350 square feet of intertidal non-vegetated wetlands, and convert approximately 51550 square feet of subaqueous bottom to rocky subtidal and intertidal habitat. The proposed beach nourishment will impact approximately 66500 square feet of intertidal non-vegetated wetlands and 88500 of subaqueous bottom. Intertidal zones will be planted with Spartina alterniflora while backshore areas will be planted with Spartina patens. No impacts to vegetated wetlands are associated with the shoreline work. The purpose of the proposed project is to provide long-term stabilization to the existing eroding shoreline.
In addition to the required Department of the Army permit, the applicant must obtain a Virginia Water Protection Permit/401 certification from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality assuring that applicable laws and regulations pertaining to water quality are not violated and a permit from the Richmond County Wetlands Board. Project drawings are attached.
AUTHORITY: Permits are required pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403), 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 classification, 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 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. 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.
Preliminary review indicates that: (l) no environmental impact statement will be required; (2) no species of fish, wildlife, or plant (or their critical habitat) listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (PL 93-205) will be affected by this undertaking; and (3) no known properties eligible for inclusion or included in the National Register of Historic Places are in or near the permit area, or would likely be affected by the proposal. Additional information might change any of these findings. For compliance with the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, the applicant must certify that federally licensed or permitted activities affecting Virginia's coastal zone (Tidewater) will be conducted in a manner consistent with the Virginia Coastal Resources Management Program (VCP). For more information or to obtain a list of the enforceable programs of the VCP, contact the Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Environmental Impact Review at (804) 698-4330 or e-mail: elirons@deq.virginia.gov.
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 National Marine Fisheries Service on all actions, or proposed actions, permitted, funded, or undertaken by the agency, that may adversely affect Essential Fish Habitat (EFH). This reach of the Rappahannock River contains Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) for the juvenile and adult life stages of seven species including windowpane flounder (Scopthalmus aquosus), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), summer flounder (Paralicthys dentatus), king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla), Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus maculatus), cobia (Rachycentron canadum), and red drum (Sciaenops occelatus). The majority of the habitat which this project would affect consists of shallow non-vegetated subtidal and intertidal waters. 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 caused by the proposed work, and the absence of vegetated wetlands or submerged aquatic vegetation within the project area. Based on comments from the National Marine Fisheries Service in response to this public notice, further EFH consultation may be necessary.
COMMENT PERIOD: Comments on this project should be made in writing, addressed to the Norfolk District, Corps of Engineers (ATTN: CENAO-WR-R: Keith Goodwin), 803 Front Street, Norfolk, Virginia 23510-1096, and should be received by the close of business on Oct. 22, 2012.
PRIVACY & 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, please contact Keith R. Goodwin at (757) 201-7327 or via email at keith.r.goodwin@usace.army.mil.
FOR THE DISTRICT COMMANDER:
Nicholas L. Konchuba
Chief, Northern Virginia
Regulatory Section