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SAJ-2017-02820-TMF

Published Oct. 20, 2017
Expiration date: 11/19/2017
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: The Jacksonville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has received a complete mitigation plan in association with the proposed establishment of the Bahia Honda State Park Wetland Enhancement Plan, Project B (BHB) project. The BHB project is proposed to be established under the framework of the approved Keys Restoration Fund (KRF) In-Lieu Fee (ILF) program pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §1344) as described below:

APPLICANT: Coastal Resources Group, Inc.
                      11449 Calhoun Court
                       Venice, Florida 34293

LOCATION: The proposed 15.1-acre BHB project is located within Bahia Honda State Park on Bahia Honda Key, within Section 26 of Township 66 south, and Range 30 east, Monroe County, Florida.

APPROXIMATE CENTRAL COORDINATES: Latitude:     24.66285 °
                                                                         Longitude: -81.27079°

PROJECT SUMMARY: Pursuant to 33 CFR 332.8(d)(4), the Corps has posted a full copy of the BHB mitigation plan online so that it is available for review by the public. The BHB mitigation plan may be downloaded from the Regulatory In-Lieu Fee and Bank Information Tracking System (RIBITS) at web address: https://ribits.usace.army.mil .

Once on the RIBITS homepage, select "Jacksonville" from the "ALL DISTRICTS" drop down menu located in the lower left corner of the screen. Once the district filter has been selected, click on the “Existing Banks & ILF Sites” link located in the Navigation box (upper left corner). This will generate a list of projects, scroll down the list and click on the “ILF-KRF-Bahia Honda Project B” link. On this page, click on the "Cyber Repository" link located on the menu bar above the General Information description, then click on the Bahia Honda Project B Mitigation Plan folder to access the BHB mitigation plan.

If you are unable to access the web address, a copy of the mitigation plan is available upon request to the project manager listed at the end of this public notice.

PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: The applicant seeks authorization to enhance, restore, and protect wetlands and uplands, creating conditions similar to those that historically existed on the 15.1-acre property. The 1.2 acre area identified as uplands is not proposed for restoration or enhancement as it includes a road and living quarters for use by park staff. The primary ecological goal of the BHB project is to re-establish hydrological connections that will enhance areas of currently impounded stressed mangrove, mangrove scrub and high marsh and provide enhancement to water quality within the interior open water lagoons. Specific restoration objectives include:

enhance approximately 5.24 acres of stressed mangrove and 1.88 acres of scrub mangrove through improvements in hydrology, water quality and tidal flushing and remove 0.03 acre of spoil mound from scrub mangrove and 0.08 acre of spoil from stressed mangrove.
enhance 0.60 acre of vegetated tidal marsh through removal or alteration of 0.17 acre spoil mounds and installation of guard rails/fencing to prohibit vehicle entry.
enhance 0.71 acre of un-vegetated lime rock with dispersal of suitable fine fill material from spoil mounds to encourage natural colonization of wetland plants.
enhance fishery production as well as wading and shorebird feeding habitat within 1.42 acres of tidal ponds.

ECOLOGICAL SUITABILITY OF THE SITE: Bahia Honda State Park supports a mosaic of natural features including coastal berm hammock, including the largest population of silver palm in the continental U.S., freshwater interdunal swale, salt marsh, beach dune, mangrove wetlands, as well as submerged resources. Restoration efforts can be accomplished with little impacts to the upland portions of the site. Most areas are accessible by road and trail making restoration activities practicable. The plan is straightforward with restoration of hydrology through clearing of existing natural and man-made tidal channels, construction of new culverts and pipes and replacement of an existing culvert to allow water flow. The alteration and/or removal of some fill material to enhance existing high marsh wetlands will make the likelihood of success high and future quantitative monitoring and maintenance feasible.

ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF THE PROJECT: The proposed BHB project would be established and operated by Coastal Resources Group, Inc. as the Sponsor. The property that comprises the BHB project is owned by the State of Florida and is managed by the Division of Parks and Recreation. The BHB Project is proposed to be established as a single and complete project under the KRF ILF program. Following successful implementation and attainment of final success criteria, long-term management activities will be implemented in order to ensure the sustainability of the BHB project. In addition, the KRF ILF Program will provide sufficient financial assurances to ensure construction and long-term management of the proposed BHA project.

NOTE: This public notice is being issued based on information furnished by the applicant. This information has not been verified or evaluated to ensure compliance with laws and regulation governing the regulatory program.

Comments regarding the proposed BHB project should be submitted in writing to the District Engineer at the address below within 30 days from the date of this notice.

If you have any questions concerning this proposed project, you may contact Ms. Teresa Frame by electronic mail at Teresa.M.Frame@usace.army.mil, by fax at 904-232-1904, or by telephone at 904-232-1677 or at the following address:

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
JACKSONVILLE DISTRICT CORPS OF ENGINEERS
P. O. BOX 4970
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA 32232-0019

IMPACT ON NATURAL RESOURCES: Preliminary review of this application indicates that an Environmental Impact Statement will not be required. Coordination with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Marine Fisheries Services, and other Federal, State, and local agencies, environmental groups, and concerned citizens generally yields pertinent environmental information that is instrumental in determining the impact the proposed action will have on the natural resources of the area. By means of this notice, we are soliciting comments on the potential effects of the project on threatened or endangered species or their habitat

EVALUATION: After the end of the comment period, the district engineer will review all comments received and make an initial determination as to the potential of the proposed project to provide compensatory mitigation for activities authorized by Department of the Army permits. That determination will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources. The benefits, which reasonably may be expected to accrue from the proposal, must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments. Factors relevant to the proposal will be considered including conservation, economics, esthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, historical properties, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, floodplain values, land use, navigation, shoreline erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy needs, safety, food, and fiber production, mineral needs, considerations of property ownership, and in general, the needs and welfare of the people.

The Corps 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 proposed activity. All comments received will be considered by the Corps during the formulation of the initial determination of potential for the proposed activity.

REQUEST FOR PUBLIC HEARING: Any person may request a public hearing. The request must be submitted in writing to the District Engineer within the designated comment period of the notice and must state the specific reasons for requesting the public hearing.