JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District is seeking input on four permit requests from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to conduct routine restoration activities on 83 lakes and water bodies throughout Florida.
FWC has applied for permits from the Corps to conduct restoration activities on 12 lakes in FWC’s Northwest Region, 45 lakes in FWC’s Northeast Region, 22 lakes and water bodies in the FWC’s Southwest Region, and 4 lakes in FWC’s South Region. These permits are required pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §1344) and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. §403). This request is part of an overall initiative in which FWC is working with the Corps to obtain permits for routine restoration work in 94 lakes and water bodies throughout Florida.
Specifically, FWC is seeking permits for routine mechanical aquatic plant maintenance activities for habitat restoration and navigation maintenance within these water bodies for a period of 15 years. The proposed maintenance techniques include mechanical harvesting of floating vegetation, shredding floating vegetation, and using earth-moving and tilling equipment on vegetated areas during dry conditions. The proposed aquatic habitat enhancement activities would improve habitat for fish and wildlife, and provide outdoor opportunities for boating, angling and wildlife viewing.
The Corps permitting process provides the opportunity for public comment. On March 9, 2015, the Corps published Public Notices for the proposed work, available at: http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/PublicNotices.aspx
To view the notices, access the web page provided above, left click on each of the following file numbers to open the Public Notices:
§ SAJ-2014-02265 (SP-JED)
§ SAJ-2014-02266 (SP-JED)
§ SAJ-2015-00641 (SP-SLR)
§ SAJ-2015-00644 (SP-SLR).
Comments and questions can be directed to the points of contact identified on each public notice.
For additional information on the mechanical control of aquatic plants, visit: http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/manage/control-methods/mechanical-control