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: Jacksonville Transportation Authority
121 West Forsyth Street, Suite 200
Jacksonville, Florida 32202
WATERWAY AND LOCATION: The project would affect waters of the United States associated with Dunn Creek, Rushing Branch, and Caney Branch. The project site is located along Alta Drive with the northernmost point located at Latitude 30.458918, Longitude -81.578986; and the southernmost point located at Latitude 30.436784, Longitude -81.579762; in Sections 2, 10, 11, 34, 35, Townships 1 North and 1 South, Range 27 East, Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida.
Directions to the site are as follows: Traveling from downtown Jacksonville, take Interstate 95 to Interstate 295 (I-295). Turn east onto I-295 and follow I-295 to the Alta Drive exit. Turn north onto Alta Drive. The proposed road widening would begin at the intersection of Alta Drive and Faye Road and extend north to the intersection of Alta Drive and Burkit Lane.
APPROXIMATE CENTRAL COORDINATES:
Northernmost point: Latitude 30.458918°
Longitude -81.578986°
Southernmost point: Latitude 30.436784°
Longitude -81.579762°
PROJECT PURPOSE:
Basic: The basic project purpose is transportation.
Overall: The overall project purpose is to widen Alta Drive between Faye Road and Burkit Lane to accommodate increased traffic demands along this stretch of Alta Drive.
EXISTING CONDITIONS: The project site is located in northern Duval County along an existing roadway, Alta Drive. The applicant proposes to widen an approximate 1.5-mile stretch of the roadway. The existing roadway traverses Rushing Branch and a tributary of Dunn Creek that is lined with saltmarsh. In addition, adjacent to the roadway there are Palustrine wetlands, residential development, upland, vacant land, and a utility easement that includes emergent wetlands. The upland areas include residential development and Pine-Mesic Oak communities, as classified by the Florida Land Use, Cover and Forms Classification System (FLUCFCS). The Pine Mesic Oak community includes live oak, slash pine, saw palmetto, bitter gallberry, and bracken fern. The wetland areas are classified by FLUCFCS as Wetland Forested Mixed, Vegetated Non-Forested, and Saltmarsh. The Wetland Forested Mixed community consists of slash pine, bald cypress, sweet bay, loblolly bay, fetterbush, and Virginia chain fern. The Vegetated Non-Forested community consists of wetland grasses, sedges, St. John’s Wort, and Virginia chain fern. The Saltmarsh community is dominated by black needle rush. The road improvements would extend from Faye Road north to Burkit Lane.
PROPOSED WORK: The applicant seeks authorization to place fill material in approximately 1.14 acres of Palustrine wetlands and saltmarsh in association with the expansion of Alta Drive. The expansion is proposed to accommodate the increase in traffic along this stretch of Alta Drive.
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 road widening was designed to be the minimum width necessary to comply with Duval County standards.
COMPENSATORY MITIGATION – The applicant has offered the following compensatory mitigation plan to offset unavoidable functional loss to the aquatic environment:
The applicant proposes to purchase Federal Mitigation Bank Credits from Greens Creek Mitigation Bank (SAJ-2008-04255) for the Palustrine wetland impacts and North Florida Saltwater Marsh Mitigation Bank (SAJ-2010-03461) for the Estuarine wetland impacts.
CULTURAL RESOURCES: The Corps is not aware of any known historic properties within the permit area. 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 project site is located within the Core Foraging Area for the Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) and approximately 13 miles north of an identified Red Cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) nest.
Since the proposed work is located within the Core Foraging Area for the Wood Stork, the Corps evaluated the potential impacts to the Wood Stork using The Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Jacksonville Ecological Services Field Office and State of Florida Effect Determination Key for the Wood Stork in Central and North Peninsular Florida – September 2008 (Wood Stork Key). Use of the Wood Stork Key resulted in the following sequence: A > B > C > Not likely to adversely affect the Wood Stork, with no further consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife (FWS) required.
Since the proposed work is located approximately 13 miles north of a Red Cockaded Woodpecker nest, the species may utilize the project site. Habitat for Red Cockaded Woodpecker typically incorporates mature pine woodlands (not wetlands); and, optimal habitat is characterized as a broad savanna with a scattered overstory of large pines and a dense groundcover containing a diversity of grass and shrub species. Nesting and roosting occur in cavity trees that are almost exclusively old, living, flat-topped pine trees. The project site does not encompass typical or optimum habitat. Since there is a significant amount of forested habitat between the documented Red Cockaded Woodpecker nest and the project site, it is likely that the species would utilize those areas and not the project site which is located along a busy roadway. The Corps has determined that the proposed project is not likely to adversely affect the Red Cockaded Woodpecker.
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 impact approximately 1.14 acres of saltmarsh and Palustrine wetland utilized by various species. Our initial determination is that the proposed action would not have a substantial adverse impact on EFH or Federally managed fisheries in Dunn Creek, Rushing Branch, and Caney Branch. 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 Jacksonville Permits Section, P.O. Box 4970, Jacksonville, Florida 32232-0019, 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, Paula R. Johnson, in writing at the Jacksonville Permits Section, P.O. Box 4970, Jacksonville, Florida 32232-0019; by telephone at (904)232-2503 or by electronic mail at paula.r.johnson@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, 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. 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. In Puerto Rico, a Coastal Zone Management Consistency Concurrence is required from the Puerto Rico Planning Board. In the Virgin Islands, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources permit constitutes compliance with the 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.