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
Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department
P.O. Box 1110
Tampa, FL 33601
WATERWAY AND LOCATION: The project would affect waters of the United States associated with Tampa Bay. The project site is located at 6760 Surfside Boulevard, Section 17, Township 31 South, Range 19 East, Apollo Beach, Hillsborough County, Florida.
Directions to the site are as follows: From I-75 in Tampa/Apollo Beach, take Exit 246 (Big Bend Road) and go west on County Road 672 to U.S. Highway 41. Turn left on U.S. 41. Travel approximately 1.75 miles and turn right onto Apollo Beach Boulevard. Turn right at dead-end onto Surfside Boulevard. Project site is at end of road.
APPROXIMATE CENTRAL COORDINATES:
Latitude 27.79308°
Longitude -82.41812°
PROJECT PURPOSE:
Basic: Shoreline stabilization and beach renourishment maintenance
Overall: Periodic breakwater/revetment stabilization and beach renourishment at the Apollo Beach Nature Park in Hillsborough County
EXISTING CONDITIONS: Apollo Beach Nature Park is an existing county park at the northern end of the Apollo Beach peninsula. The park includes a series of breakwaters, a shoreline revetment, and a beach and dune restoration area.
PROJECT HISTORY: In 2014 the Corps of Engineers permitted the installation of a series of 8 breakwater structures to protect the severely eroding shoreline and placement of fill to construct a beach and dune system. The project was constructed over several years and completed in 2016.
PROPOSED WORK: The applicant seeks authorization to periodically fortify the existing breakwaters and revetment with additional rock as necessary to maintain the structures. In addition, the applicant may restore the beach segment with additional material when the beach area has eroded to the designated “trigger conditions”. The beach may be restored to the original design capacity.
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 project is designed solely as an operations and maintenance program for the previously permitted park restoration. No new impacts are proposed.
COMPENSATORY MITIGATION – The applicant has provided the following explanation why compensatory mitigation should not be required:
No new impacts are proposed therefore compensatory mitigation should not be required.
CULTURAL RESOURCES: The Corps has determined the permit area has been created within the last 45 years there is little likelihood of impact upon a historic property.
ENDANGERED SPECIES: The Corps has determined the proposed project may affect, but is not likely to adversely affect the Smalltooth sawfish and swimming sea turtles. The Corps will request National Marine Fisheries Service concurrence with this determination pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.
The Corps has determined the proposed project may affect, but is not likely to adversely affect the West Indian Manatee. The Corps will request initiation of formal consultation with the Fish and Wildlife Service pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act by separate letter.
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 1.27 acres of sandy, soft bottom utilized by various life stages of Penaeid shrimp complex/Red drum/ Reef fish/Stone crab/Spiny lobster/Migratory-pelagic fish/Snapper-Grouper complex. Our initial determination is that the proposed action would not have a substantial adverse impact on EFH or Federally managed fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico. 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.
NAVIGATION: Based on the Florida State Plane coordinates provided by the applicant, the waterward edge of the proposed structure is not located near a Federal channel.
SECTION 408: The applicant will not require permission under Section 14 of the Rivers and Harbors Act (33 USC 408) because the activity, in whole or in part, would not alter, occupy, or use a Corps Civil Works 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. The jurisdictional line [has/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 Ave., Suite 120, Tampa, Florida 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, Candice Wheelahan, in writing at the Tampa Permits Section, 10117 Princess Palm Ave., Suite 120, Tampa, Florida 33610; by electronic mail at Candice.M.Wheelahan@usace.army.mil; by facsimile transmission at (813)769-7061; or, by telephone at (813)769-7064.
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.
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.