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) as described below:
APPLICANT: Lee County Department of Transportation
Robert L. Price
1500 Monroe St., Fort Myers, FL 33901
(239) 533-8592
WATERWAY AND LOCATION: The project would affect waters of the United States associated with roadway conveyances and unnamed wetlands within the Alico Road extension. The project site is located at the Alico Road corridor extension from Green Meadow Road North to State Road 82 in Sections 14, 23, 26 and 34, Township 45 South, Range 26 East, Lee County, Florida.
Directions to the site are as follows: Take I-75 south to Alico Road (Exit 128). Proceed east on Alico Road through the Green Meadow Road intersection. The southern limit of the project would be located approximately 0.4 miles east of the intersection. Activities associated with the new roadway would extend east and north through a mix of land uses (mining, natural lands, and agricultural lands). Please note access through the mine area requires authorization.
APPROXIMATE CENTRAL COORDINATES: Latitude 26.527126°
Longitude -81.697261°
PROJECT PURPOSE: Lee County is designing the extension of Alico Road to prepare for population growth within Lee County and ease congestion on existing east-west corridors. This new connection would provide additional roadway capacity as well as improve the level of service for the Interstate 75/ Daniels Parkway and 1-75/Colonial Boulevard intersections. Drivers would see improved level of mobility and reduced congestion in eastern Lee County.
Basic: Improved vehicle access
Overall: The project proposes the construction of approximately 9-miles of new roadway and associated stormwater management system, extending the existing Alico Road from Green Meadow Road to State Road 82. The design includes 4 travel lanes and pedestrian pathways with a surface water management system
EXISTING CONDITIONS: The project area consists of a mix of agricultural lands, mining, and natural areas. Active land uses surrounding the proposed roadway include mining and agriculture. Natural lands in the corridor include a mix of forested uplands, forested wetlands and herbaceous wetlands.
PROPOSED WORK: Lee County Department of Transportation proposes to construct approximately 9-miles of new roadway and associated stormwater management system, which would extend the current Alico Road from Green Meadow Road to State Road 82. This project is referred to as the “Alico Road Connector.” The new roadway segment would be comprised of a right of way that varies from 150’ to 250’. The design includes four travel lanes with wide median to allow for an ultimate six-lane design with a stormwater management system. Throughout the 250’ right-of-way segment, multi-use pathways would be provided on both sides of the roadway.
If the preferred alternative is approved, the project would result in 80.14 acres of wetland impacts due to 64.99 acres of fill and 15.15 acres of excavation.
PUBLIC NOTICE DRAWINGS: The Corps has attached project drawings or figures to this public notice. If you would like to receive a copy of the associated drawings for the project, contact the project manager listed above to request them via email or standard mail.
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: Total avoidance of wetland impacts is not possible with the proposed linear project expansion. However, the impacts would be minimized by the using Best Management Practices such as the implementation of erosion and sedimentation control measures. Additionally, a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit will be obtained for the project.
COMPENSATORY MITIGATION – The applicant has offered the following compensatory mitigation plan to offset unavoidable functional loss to the aquatic environment:
Mitigation is proposed for direct and secondary wetland impacts. The Uniform Mitigation Assessment Method (UMAM) was utilized to assess the direct and secondary impacts proposed to result from the project. Approximately 80.14 acres of wetlands within the project limits would be directly impacted with (16.84 acres) of 100% secondarily impacted, the existing functional value of the project wetlands equates to the proposed functional loss requiring mitigation.
As detailed in the UMAM Analysis in the project file, a total of 50.54 UMAM functional units of mitigation are anticipated to be needed to offset project impacts. No wetland mitigation is proposed for the man-made ditch impacts (12.98 acres) of surface waters associated with the project.
Mitigation is proposed to be provided at Lee County’s Wild Turkey Strand Preserve Site 90 Mitigation Area (“Site 90 Mitigation Area”), currently under review for a potential permit issuance ((USACE Permit No. SAJ-2007-05662 (NWP-WDD)).
The applicant proposed wildlife crossings at five locations (identified as WC-1, WC-3, WC-2, WC-4, and WC-5. The wildlife crossings for WC-3 and WC-4 were proposed as (6 feet high by 12 feet wide), WC-2 (4 feet high by 8 feet wide) and WC-5 (5 feet high by 10 feet wide). The wildlife crossings would allow for use by panthers and their prey species across the landscape. All four box culverts have been designed to include center grates (in the median) to act as skylights and mitigate lower openness values. The wildlife crossing WC-1, is proposed as an open-span bridge wildlife crossing under the Alico roadway.
CULTURAL RESOURCES:
The Corps is evaluating the undertaking for effects to historic properties as required under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. This public notice serves to inform the public of the proposed undertaking and invites comments including those from local, State, and Federal government Agencies with respect to historic resources. Our final determination relative to historic resource impacts may be subject to additional coordination with the State Historic Preservation Officer, those federally recognized tribes with concerns in Florida and the Permit Area, and other interested parties.
ENDANGERED SPECIES:
The project is located within a Florida Panther (Puma concolor coryi) focus area, a Wood stork (Mycteria americana) Core Foraging Area, Crested Caracara (Caracara plancus audubonii) nest site and a Florida Bonneted Bat (Eumops floridanus) Urban Bat Area.
The Corps is evaluating any effects to the above listed species. The Corps will request U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service concurrence with determinations pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act under separate cover if necessary.
ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT (EFH): The proposed activity is not located in the vicinity of essential fish habitat.
Navigation: The proposed activity is not located in the vicinity of a federal navigation 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 been verified by Corps personnel.
COMMENTS regarding the potential authorization of the work proposed should be submitted in writing to the attention of Allison J. Cala through the Fort Myers Permits Section, 1520 Royal Palm Square Boulevard, Suite 310, Fort Myers, Florida, 33919, or by email at Allison.J.Cala@usace.army.mil, within 30 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, Allison J. Cala, by electronic mail at Allison.J.Cala@usace.army.mil, or in writing at the Fort Myers Permits Section, 1520 Royal Palm Square Blvd, Suite 310, Fort Myers, Florida 33919.
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.
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.
WATER QUALITY CERTIFICATION: Water Quality Certification is required from the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD).
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.
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