TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: The Jacksonville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has received a complete prospectus proposing the establishment of a mitigation bank pursuant to the 2008 Compensatory Mitigation for Losses of Aquatic Resources regulations (33 CFR Part 332) as described below:
APPLICANT: T. Mims Corporation
c/o Mr. William T. Mims
439 South Florida Avenue, Suite 202,
Lakeland, Florida 33801
WATERWAY AND LOCATION: The proposed project, identified Alafia River Wetland Mitigation Bank (ARWMB) is a proposed wetland mitigation bank. The project site is located south of Mulberry in Sections 10, 15, 16, 22; Township 30S; and Range 23E, Polk County, Florida.
APPROXIMATE CENTRAL COORDINATES: Latitude: 27.874736°
Longitude: -82.003014°
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY: Pursuant to 33 CFR 332.8(d)(4), the Corps has posted a full copy of the ARWMB prospectus online so that it is available for review by the public. The prospectus may be downloaded from the Regulatory In-Lieu Fee and Bank Information Tracking System (RIBITS) at web address: https://ribits.ops.usace.army.mil/ords/f?p=107:2.
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 “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 “Alafia River Wetland MB” link. On this page, click on the "Cyber Repository" link located on the menu bar above the General Information box, then click on the Prospectus Documents folder to access the prospectus associated with the ARWMB project.
If you are unable to access the web address, a copy of the prospectus is available upon request to the project manager listed at the end of this public notice.
PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
Goal 1: Preserve and enhance 129.77 acres of forested wetlands and 71.52 acres of marsh wetlands and 6.14 acres of open water habitat that are hydrologically connected to Bird Branch Creek.
Objective 1: To preserve the Project wetlands from future mining activities that have heavily impacted the aquatic resources within the watershed.
Objective 2: To remove non-native and invasive vegetation, which may affect wetland dependent wildlife use in the system.
Objective 3: To maintain existing hydrologic connections so that floodplain attenuation during the wet season is maintained throughout the Project wetlands.
Objective 4: To provide habitat that encourages the foraging and nesting of wading birds, specifically state and federally listed species such as the snowy egret (Egretta thula), roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), reddish egret (Egretta rufescens), little blue heron (Egretta caerulea), tricolored heron (Egretta tricolor), great egret (Ardea alba), wood stork (Mycteria americana), and white ibis (Eudocimus albus). All of the aforementioned wading birds will nest in multi-species colonies while white ibis and reddish egrets generally nest in single-species colonies.
Objective 5: To preserve wetland connectivity to the floodplain of Bird Branch Creek which will provide attenuation of floodwaters and nutrient uptake (especially for phosphorus and nitrogen) to support downstream systems, specifically the Tampa Bay estuary.
Goal 2: Preserve and enhance 45.30 acres of Bird Branch Creek.
Objective 1: To preserve the Project wetlands from future mining activities that have heavily impacted the aquatic resources within the watershed.
Objective 2: To remove non-native and invasive vegetation, such as hydrilla that may obstruct the system flow.
Objective 3: To maintain existing crossing’s locations so that flow is maintained through the Project area.
Goal 3: Preserve 165.57 acres of upland buffer which includes a minimum of 50-feet from the wetland boundary.
Objective 1: To preserve the Project adjacent uplands from future mining activities that have heavily impacted the aquatic resources within the watershed.
Objective 2: To provide a buffer between future adjacent activities and the Project wetlands. This buffer includes mitigating the potential adverse effects of sedimentation, noise and lighting.
Objective 3: To provide a buffer between future adjacent activities and the Project wetlands that is sufficient to allow for wading bird foraging and nesting.
ECOLOGICAL SUITABILITY OF THE SITE: A review of available information indicates that the project sites historically consisted of the following conditions.
The preservation of wetlands in their current condition protects them against potential
impacts due to future mining activities and allows the site to stabilize and be utilized by listed species. Over time, the forested systems will mature and allow for natural recruitment.
Through the removal of invasive vegetation, specifically the removal of hydrilla, water levels within the wetlands will continue to correspond with rainfall within the drainage basin. This should provide a permanent pool of inundation within the creek channel and in floodplain wetlands immediately adjacent to the channel. The permanent inundation will provide optimum nesting habitat for wading birds, which typically begin nesting activities during the hydrologic dry season. Additionally, the direct connectivity of floodplain wetlands to the channel of Bird Branch Creek will provide significant habitat for aquatic macroinvertebrates, amphibians, fish and other prey items. These prey items result in a significant location for wading bird foraging.
ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF THE BANK: The proposed ARWMB would be established and operated by Alafia River Wetland Mitigation Bank, Inc.
c/o Mr. William T. Mims as the Sponsor with the assistance of WRA Engineering
c/o Matthew P. Miller as the Agent. The properties that comprise the ARWMB is owned by Mims Properties Investments, LLC and Mims/Alafia, LLC. The ARWMB is proposed to be established as a wetland mitigation bank. Following ARWMB successful implementation and attainment of final success criteria, long-term management activities will be implemented in order to ensure the sustainability of ARWMB. In addition, the Sponsor will provide sufficient financial assurances to ensure construction and long-term management of the proposed ARWMB.
PROPOSED SERVICE AREA: The project is located within the Alafia Subbasin identified as Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) 03100204. The Applicant proposes a Mitigation Service Area (MSA) that is coincident with the lands within the ARWMB property. The ARWMB MSA is anticipated to include wetland habitat communities that could reasonably be expected to occur on the ARWMB.
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 Corps has determined the proposed project may affect but is not likely to adversely affect the Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon corais couperi), Wood Stork (Mycteria americana), Audubon’s Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway), and Everglade Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) or their designated critical habitat. The Corps will request U.S. Fish and Wildlife/National Marine Fisheries Service concurrence with this determination pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.
The Corps has determined the proposal would have no effect on Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus), Sand Skink (Neoseps reynoldsi), and Blue-Tail Skink (Eumeces egregius lividus) or their designated critical habitat.
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. 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.
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 not been verified by Corps personnel.
COMMENTS: Comments regarding the proposed mitigation bank should be submitted in writing to the District Engineer at the address below within 30 days from the date of this notice.
QUESTIONS concerning this application should be directed to the project manager, Ryan Hendren, in writing at the Mitigation Programs Team, 10117 Princess Palm Avenue, Suite 120, Tampa, Florida 33610-8302; by electronic mail at Ryan.G.Hendren@usace.army.mil; or by telephone at (904) 613-1092.
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: 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.