TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: The Jacksonville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has received an application for a Department of the Army permit 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) as described below:
APPLICANT: Hillsborough County Real Estate & Facilities Services
c/o Mr. Joshua Bellotti
601 East Kennedy Blvd
County Center, 23rd Floor
Tampa, FL 33602
WATERWAY AND LOCATION: The project would affect waters of the United States associated with the Alafia River. The project site is located at the existing Williams Park boat ramp facility at 9425 US Highway 41 South, Riverview, in Section 23, Township 30 South, Range 19 East, Hillsborough County, Florida 33578.
Directions to the site are as follows: From Tampa, head south on US-41. Make a slight right onto Tamiami Trail. The boat ramp facility is at the end of the road.
APPROXIMATE CENTRAL COORDINATES: Latitude: 27.860119°
Longitude: -82.384744°
PROJECT PURPOSE:
Basic: Vessel access
Overall: Improved vessel access facilities at the Williams Park boat ramp in Riverview, Florida.
EXISTING CONDITIONS: The project is located at an existing boat ramp facility on the Alafia River located on the west side of US 41. The facility consists of two 40 foot wide boat ramps separated by a 4 foot wide by 60 foot long wood pier and bordered on either side by L-shaped wood docks consisting of a 70 foot long by 4 foot wide access walkway and a 4 foot wide by 40 foot long terminal platform. The applicant states that the project area does not support submerged aquatic resources. There are mangroves along the shoreline east of the boat ramp facility, where there is an existing wood fishing pier. The upland facility consists of parking spaces for vehicles and boat trailers.
PROPOSED WORK: The applicant seeks authorization to replace the existing boat ramps and docks in substantially the same footprint. The proposal includes the following work in waters of the U.S.:
- Remove the existing concrete ramps and all wood docking structures;
- Construct new concrete cast-in-place boat ramps measuring 43.6 foot wide by 54.8 foot long (west ramp) and 45 foot wide by 54.8 foot long (east ramp);
- Construct new concrete pier abutments measuring 5 foot wide by 8.1 foot long (west abutment), 5 foot wide by 8.5 foot long (central abutment), and 5 foot wide by 18.1 foot long (east abutment) as measured at or below the high tide line;
- Construct west dock consisting of a 5 foot wide by 27 foot long precast concrete walkway leading to a 5 foot wide by 20 foot long aluminum gangway that overlaps onto an L-shaped floating wood dock consisting of a 5 foot wide by 23 foot long walkway and 5 foot wide by 39.6 foot long terminal platform;
- Construct central dock consisting of a 5 foot wide by 10.5 foot long precast concrete walkway leading to a 5 foot wide by 20 foot long aluminum gangway that overlaps onto a 5 foot wide by 38.4 foot long floating pier;
- Construct east dock consisting of a 5 foot wide by 20 foot long aluminum gangway that overlaps onto a wood L-shaped dock consisting of a 5 foot wide by 30 foot long walkway and 5 foot wide by 39.5 foot long terminal platform.
The docks include a total of 21 12 inch diameter concrete pilings. The project as proposed requires 0.114 total acre of fill for the concrete ramps and abutments.
AVOIDANCE AND MINIMIZATION INFORMATION – The applicant has provided the following information in support of efforts to avoid and/or minimize impacts to the aquatic environment: The applicant states that the project area does not contain submerged aquatic resources and no resources will be affected. The Corps permit, if issued, would require the use of turbidity curtains and best management practices.
COMPENSATORY MITIGATION – The applicant has provided the following explanation why compensatory mitigation should not be required: The applicant states that the project area does not contain submerged aquatic resources and no resources will be affected; therefore, mitigation should not be required.
CULTURAL RESOURCES: The Corps determined the permit area has been extensively modified by previous work and there is little likelihood a historic property may be affected. By copy of this public notice, the Corps is providing information for review. Our final determination relative to historic resource impacts is subject to review by and coordination with the State Historic Preservation Officer and those federally recognized tribes with concerns in Florida and the Permit Area.
ENDANGERED SPECIES:
The Corps determined the proposed project may affect, but is not likely to adversely affect (MANLAA) the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus). The Corps has concurrence with this determination pursuant to the Effect Determination Key for the Manatee, dated April 2013 (Manatee Key). Use of the Manatee Key resulted in the following sequential determination: A > B > C > G > N > O > P3 > MANLAA. This determination is partially based on the applicant following the standard manatee construction conditions.
The Corps made the determination of MANLAA for the smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata), green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas), loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta), Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii), leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) and hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbracata). The Corps evaluated the proposed work utilizing the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)—Jacksonville District’s Programmatic Biological Opinion (JaxBO) dated November 20, 2017. The Corps will confirm through the JaxBO Superseding Process that the programmatic concurrence pursuant to the JaxBO applies in this case and no individual concurrence is required.
ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT (EFH): This notice initiates consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service on EFH as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 1996. The proposal would affect approximately 0.2 acre of waters at an existing boat ramp facility. Our initial determination is that the proposed action would not have a substantial adverse impact on EFH or federally managed fisheries. Our final determination relative to project impacts and the need for mitigation measures is subject to review by and coordination with the National Marine Fisheries Service.
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. The jurisdictional line has not been verified by Corps personnel.
AUTHORIZATION FROM OTHER AGENCIES: Water Quality Certification may be required from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and/or one of the state Water Management Districts.
COMMENTS regarding the potential authorization of the work proposed should be submitted in writing to the attention of the District Engineer through the Tampa Permits Section, 10117 Princess Palm Avenue, Suite 120, Tampa, FL 33610 within 21 days from the date of this notice.
The decision whether to issue or deny this permit application will be based on the information received from this public notice and the evaluation of the probable impact to the associated wetlands. This is based on an analysis of the applicant's avoidance and minimization efforts for the project, as well as the compensatory mitigation proposed.
QUESTIONS concerning this application should be directed to the project manager, Jessica Cordwell, in writing at the Tampa Permits Section, 10117 Princess Palm Avenue, Suite 120 Tampa, Florida 33610, by telephone at (813)769-7067, by fax at (813)769-7061, or by electronic mail at Jessica.L.Cordwell@usace.army.mil.
IMPACT ON NATURAL RESOURCES: 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.
EVALUATION: 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. That decision 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. All factors which may be relevant to the proposal will be considered including cumulative impacts thereof; among these are conservation, economics, aesthetics, 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. Evaluation of the impact of the activity on the public interest will also include application of the guidelines promulgated by the Administrator, EPA, under authority of Section 404(b) of the Clean Water Act or the criteria established under authority of Section 102(a) of the Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972. A permit will be granted unless its issuance is found to be contrary to the public interest.
The US Army Corps of Engineers (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 impacts of this proposed activity. Any comments received will be considered by the Corps to determine whether to issue, modify, condition, or deny a permit for this proposal. To make this determination, comments are used to assess impacts to endangered species, historic properties, water quality, general environmental effects, and the other public interest factors listed above. Comments are also used to determine the need for a public hearing and to determine the overall public interest of the proposed activity.
COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT CONSISTENCY: In Florida, the State approval constitutes compliance with the approved Coastal Zone Management Plan.
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.