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Ascension-St. James Airport and Transportation Authority

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AIRPORT EXPANSION IN ASCENSION PARISH

NAME OF APPLICANT: Ascension-St. James Airport and Transportation Authority; c/o Gulf South Research Corporation; 8081 Innovation Park Drive; Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70820 LOCATION OF WORK: Within the Lake Pontchartrain Basin (HUC 08070204); Section 6, T10S-R3E; 6255 Airport Industrial Drive, Gonzales, Louisiana 70737, in Ascension Parish. CHARACTER OF WORK: The applicant has requested a modification/time extension to their existing permit. This request includes clearing, grubbing, earthwork, and drainage improvements on a 14-acre site to allow for construction of additional 42 hangers, a gravel haul road, and 369,630 square feet of apron space. This expansion would provide increased aircraft hangar capacity to meet the private and commercial needs of aircraft transportation in Ascension Parish. Drainage improvements include both subsurface, within the apron and hangar areas, and surface improvements through construction of drainage swales along the western and northern boundaries of the project site. Approximately 5,000 cubic yards would be used to fill the jurisdictional wetland within the project site. The fill will consist of subbase, geotextile fabric, crushed aggregate, and asphaltic concrete. All fill material will be hauled in from an offsite source. Approximately 0.9 acre of jurisdictional wetlands and 470 linear feet of jurisdictional waters will be filled as a result of the proposed activity. The applicant has designed the project to avoid and minimize direct and secondary adverse impacts to the maximum extent practicable. Adjoining land was unavailable, therefore complete avoidance of the wetlands was not practicable. The proposed layout is the safest and best suited layout within the frame work of the existing runways and taxiways. Any further reduction in wetland impacts would limit usage of the property and, therefore function deeming the project impracticable. As compensation for unavoidable wetland impacts the applicant proposes to purchase wetland credits from a Corps approved mitigation bank located in the watershed.

JOINT PUBLIC NOTICE May 1, 2017 United States Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District Regulatory Branch 7400 Leake Avenue New Orleans, Louisiana 70118

State of Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Office of Environmental Services Post Office Box 4313 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70821-4313

(504) 862-2675 Project Manager Jamie Crowe Jamie.M.Crowe@usace.army.mil Permit Application Number MVN 2012-00066 CO

(225) 219-3225 Project Manager Elizabeth Hill WQC Application Number WQC 170413-01

Interested parties are hereby notified that a permit application has been received by the New Orleans District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pursuant to: [ ] Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of March 3, 1899 (30 Stat. 1151; 33 USC 403); and/or [X] Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (86 Stat. 816; 33 USC 1344). Application has also been made to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Environmental Services, for a Water Quality Certification (WQC) in accordance with statutory authority contained in LRS30:2047 A(3), and provisions of Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (P.L.95-17).

AIRPORT EXPANSION IN ASCENSION PARISH NAME OF APPLICANT: Ascension-St. James Airport and Transportation Authority; c/o Gulf South Research Corporation; 8081 Innovation Park Drive; Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70820. LOCATION OF WORK: Within the Lake Pontchartrain Basin (HUC 08070204); Section 6, T10S-R3E; 6255 Airport Industrial Drive, Gonzales, Louisiana 70737, in Ascension Parish. CHARACTER OF WORK: The applicant has requested a modification/time extension to their existing permit. This request includes clearing, grubbing, earthwork, and drainage improvements on a 14-acre site to allow for construction of additional 42 hangers, a gravel haul road, and 369,630 square feet of apron space. This expansion would provide increased aircraft hangar capacity to meet the private and commercial needs of aircraft transportation in Ascension Parish. Drainage improvements include both subsurface, within the apron and hangar areas, and surface improvements through

construction of drainage swales along the western and northern boundaries of the project site. Approximately 5,000 cubic yards would be used to fill the jurisdictional wetland within the project site. The fill will consist of subbase, geotextile fabric, crushed aggregate, and asphaltic concrete. All fill material will be hauled in from an offsite source. Approximately 0.9 acre of jurisdictional wetlands and 470 linear feet of jurisdictional waters will be filled as a result of the proposed activity. The applicant has designed the project to avoid and minimize direct and secondary adverse impacts to the maximum extent practicable. Adjoining land was unavailable, therefore complete avoidance of the wetlands was not practicable. The proposed layout is the safest and best suited layout within the frame work of the existing runways and taxiways. Any further reduction in wetland impacts would limit usage of the property and, therefore function deeming the project impracticable. As compensation for unavoidable wetland impacts the applicant proposes to purchase wetland credits from a Corps approved mitigation bank located in the watershed. The comment period for the Department of the Army Permit and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality WQC will close 20 days from the date of this joint public notice. Written comments, including suggestions for modifications or objections to the proposed work, stating reasons thereof, are being solicited from anyone having interest in this permit and/or this WQC request and must be mailed, so as to be received before or by the last day of the comment period. Letters concerning the Corps of Engineers permit application must reference the applicant's name and the Permit Application Number, and be mailed to the Corps of Engineers at the address above, ATTENTION: REGULATORY BRANCH. The application for this proposed project is on file with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and may be examined weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Copies may be obtained upon payment of costs of reproduction. Individuals or parties may request an extension of time in which to comment on the proposed work by writing or e-mailing the Corps of Engineers Project Manager listed above. Any request must be specific and substantively supportive of the requested extension, and received by this office prior to the end of the initial comment period. The Section Chief will review the request and the requestor will be promptly notified of the decision to grant or deny the request. If granted, the time extension will be continuous to the initial comment period and, inclusive of the initial comment period, will not exceed a total of 30 calendar days. Letters concerning the Water Quality Certification must reference the applicant's name and the WQC Application number and be mailed to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality at the address above. Corps of Engineers Permit Criteria The decision whether to issue a permit will be based on an evaluation of the probable impacts, 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 benefit 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 the

cumulative effects thereof; among those are conservation, economics, aesthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, historic 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 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 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 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to determine whether to make, modify, condition, or deny a permit for this proposal. To make this decision, comments are used to assess impacts on endangered species, historic properties, water quality, general environmental effects, and other public interest factors listed above. Comments are used in the preparation of an Environmental Assessment and/or an Environmental Impact Statement pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act. Comments are also used to determine the need for a public hearing and to determine the overall public interest of the proposed activity. The New Orleans District is unaware of properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places near the proposed work. The possibility exists that the proposed work may damage or destroy presently unknown archeological, scientific, prehistorical, historical sites, or data. Copies of this notice are being sent to the State Archeologist and State Historic Preservation Officer. Our initial finding is that the proposed work would not affect any species, nor affect any habitat designated as critical to the survival and recovery of such species, listed as endangered by the U.S. Department of Commerce. This project was determined to have no effect on endangered species based on Standard Local Operating Procedures for Endangered Species in Louisiana (SLOPES), dated October 22, 2014, between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological Services Office. This notice initiates the Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) consultation requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The applicant's proposal would result in the destruction or alteration of n/a acres of EFH utilized by various life stages of red drum and penaeid shrimp. 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. If the proposed work involves deposits of dredged or fill material into navigable waters, the evaluation of the probable impacts will include the application of guidelines established by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Also, a certification that the proposed activity will not violate applicable water quality standards

will be required from the Department of Environmental Quality, Office of Environmental Services, before a permit is issued. Any person may request, in writing, within the comment period specified in this notice, that a public hearing be held to consider this application. Requests for public hearings shall state, with particularity, the reasons for holding a public hearing. You are requested to communicate the information contained in this notice to any other parties whom you deem likely to have interest in the matter. You are requested to communicate the information contained in this notice to any other parties whom you deem likely to have interest in the matter.

John M. Herman Chief, Central Evaluation Section Regulatory Branch Enclosure

Ascension Parish

Project Location Latitude: 30.173080° N Longitude: -90.939090° W

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Figure 1. Vicinity Map December 2016

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Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AEX, Getmapping, Aerogrid, IGN, IGP, swisstopo, and the GIS User Community

Figure 2. Project Location Map Gonzales Airport 404 Permitting Department of the Army Permit Ascension Parish, Louisiana

December 2016

PROPOSED SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE (TYP.) PROPOSED AUTO PARKING (TYP.)

EXIST. DRAINAGE SWALE

PROPOSED DRAINAGE SWALE PROPOSED STONE HAUL ROAD

PROPOSED DRAINAGE SWALE EXIST. AIRCRAFT HANGARS

CL TAXIWAY (40' WIDE)

BOX HANGARS

R.O.W. CL AIRPORT INDUSTRIAL BLVD. FUTURE EXTENSION R.O.W.

BOX HANGARS

PAVEMENT

PAVEMENT

HANGAR

HANGAR

PAVEMENT

PAVEMENT

530.0'

EXIST. AIRCRAFT HANGARS

50' R.O.W.

332.9'

AIRPORT INDUSTRIAL BLVD

PROPOSED AIRCRAFT TIE-DOWNS (TYP.)

EXIST. DRAINAGE SWALE PAVEMENT, DRAINAGE HANGARS (600')

PAVEMENT, DRAINAGE HANGARS (510')

14 ACRE TREE CLEARING, EARTHWORK, AND DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS (1300')

Proposed Drainage Waters of the U.S. Jurisdictional Wetlands

Figure 3. Hangar, Apron, Drains, Wetlands Gonzales Airport 404 Permitting Department of the Army Ascension Parish, Louisiana

December 2016

PROPOSED SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE (TYP.) PROPOSED DRAINAGE SWALE EXIST. DRAINAGE SWALE CULVERT

PROPOSED STONE HAUL ROAD R.O.W. AIRPORT INDUSTRIAL BLVD

B

50' R.O.W.

INDUSTRIAL BLVD. FUTURE EXTENSION CLCLAIRPORT AIRPORT INDUSTRIAL BLVD. FUTURE EXTENSION R.O.W.

B BOX HANGARS

BOX HANGARS

C

C

EXIST. AIRCRAFT HANGARS

E PAVEMENT/APRON

PAVEMENT/APRON

PROPOSED DRAINAGE SWALE EXIST. AIRCRAFT HANGARS

530.0'

E HANGARS

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332.9'

HANGARS

PAVEMENT/APRON

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PAVEMENT/APRON

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A

CL TAXIWAY (40' WIDE)

PROPOSED AIRCRAFT TIE-DOWNS (TYP.)

EXIST. DRAINAGE SWALE PAVEMENT, DRAINAGE HANGARS (510')

PAVEMENT, DRAINAGE HANGARS (600')

Proposed Drainage Swale (3,200 feet)

14 ACRE TREE CLEARING, EARTHWORK, AND DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS (1300')

Jurisdictional Herbaceous Wetlands ( (0.9 ac)

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Figure 3. Hangar, Apron, Drains, Wetlands Gonzales Airport 404 Permitting Department of the Army Ascension Parish, Louisiana

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180

360

540 Feet

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Water of the U.S. (505 feet)

February 2017

MAXIMUM WIDITH OF 330'

FAA P-401 Asphalt Concrete (4" Depth) (2,200 C.Y.) FAA P-209 Crushed Aggregate (6" Depth) (3,280 C.Y.)

FAA P-154 Sub-Base Course (8" Depth) (4,360 C.Y.)

Wetlands

Figure 4. Typical Wetland Cross-Section (A-A) Gonzales Airport 404 Permitting Department of the Army Ascension Parish, Louisiana

April 2017

PROPOSED EAST DRAINAGE SWALE (B-B)

6' Airport Industrial Blvd Asphaltic Concrete

Soil

3'

2'

Drainage

NOT TO SCALE

PROPOSED NORTH DRAINAGE SWALE (C-C)

6'

Soil

Soil

3'

2'

Drainage

NOT TO SCALE

Figure 5. Typical Drainage Cross-Sections (B-B and C-C) Gonzales Airport 404 Permitting Department of the Army Ascension Parish, Louisiana

February 2017

CROSS-SECTION OF WATERS OF THE US (D-D)

5' Concrete

Concrete

2'

2'

NOT TO SCALE

CROSS-SECTION OF CULVERT (E-E)

5' Concrete

Concrete

36" Dia. x 60 LF Culvert

3'

2'

WUS Fill Concrete

Figure 6. Typical Cross-Sections of Waters of the U.S.(D-D) and Proposed Culvert (E-E) Gonzales Airport 404 Permitting Department of the Army Ascension Parish, Louisiana

April 2017

Figure 7. Existing Drainage Gonzales Airport 404 Permitting Department of the Army Ascension Parish, Louisiana

February 2017

Figure 8. Proposed Drainage Plan Gonzales Airport 404 Permitting Department of the Army Ascension Parish, Louisiana

February 2017

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