2017-60821

PN18-15 the comment period is March 14, 2018 to April 14, 2018 – Prince George Co. DESCRIPTION: Grade existing stormwater management pond and create forebays. POC: Steve Harman @ 410-962-6082 or by email steve.harman@usace.army.mil

Public Notice U.S. Army Corps In Reply to Application Number of Engineers NABOP-RM (PG DOE/SPRINGFIELD MANOR 2) 2017-60821 Baltimore District PN 18-15 Comment Period: March 14, 2018 to April 14, 2018

THE PURPOSE OF THIS PUBLIC NOTICE IS TO SOLICIT COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC REGARDING THE WORK DESCRIBED BELOW. NO DECISION HAS BEEN MADE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT A PERMIT WILL BE ISSUED AT THIS TIME.

This District 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: Mr. Jim Lyons Prince Georges County Department of the Environment 1801 McCormick Drive, Suite 500 Largo, Maryland 20774

WATERWAY AND LOCATION OF THE PROPOSED WORK:

The project is located in an instream stormwater management pond in an unnamed tributary of Newstop Branch which drains to Horsepen Branch and the Patuxent River within a community space near 12113 Stanfield Court in the Springfield Manor Community at Bowie, Prince George’s County, Maryland.

PROPOSED WORK AND PURPOSE:

The applicant proposes to retrofit an existing regional stormwater management pond by emplacing approximately 5,530 and 2,789 square foot areas of stone creating two forebays; excavating and grading bottom contours to create a deeper facility, permanently impacting approximately 69,203 square feet of non-tidal wetlands and 3,206 square feet along 326 linear feet of stream channel. All existing stream and wetlands would be excavated during bulldozing for the proposed work, including the proposed mitigation within an approximate 1,740 square foot area. There would be no increase in pond size.

The project is part of Prince George’s County Clean Water Partnership which retrofits existing stormwater management facilities to meet State compliance regulations. The pond must be upgraded to meet State Standard Pond Code 378 standards.

The applicant has avoided and minimized impacts to aquatic resources to the maximum extent. No other pond location would allow for water quality improvements to this watershed. The pond must be deepened to increase the capacity of the facility and treat stormwater to improve water quality.

The purpose of the work is to increase the volume of water that could be treated for water quality at the facility.

The applicant proposes to create 1,740 square feet of emergent wetlands by grading and planting a 3-foot wide by 580-foot long aquatic bench within the pond as compensatory mitigation for unavoidable impacts to the waters of the United States, including jurisdictional wetlands.

All work will be completed in accordance with the enclosed plan(s). If you have any questions concerning this matter, please contact Mr. Steven Harman, Project Manager, at 410-962-6082 or steve.harman@usace.army.mil.

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 reasonable 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, economic, aesthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, cultural values, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, flood plain values, land use, navigation, shoreline erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy needs, safety, food and fiber production, mineral needs, and consideration of property ownership and in general, the needs and welfare of the people.

The 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 Corps of Engineers to determine whether to issue, 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 the 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 provided will become part of the public record for this action. Comments are also used to determine the need for a public hearing and to determine the overall public interest of the proposed activity. Written comments concerning the work described above related to the factors listed above or other pertinent factors must be received by the District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, Attn.: Mr. Steven Harman, CENAB-OPR-M, 2 Hopkins Plaza, Baltimore, Maryland 21201 within the comment period specified above.

ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT: The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA), as amended by the Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996 (Public Law 04-267), requires all Federal agencies to consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on all actions, or proposed actions, permitted, funded, or undertaken by the agency that may adversely effect Essential Fish Habitat (EFH).The project site does lie in or adjacent to EFH as described under MSFCMA.

WATER QUALITY CERTIFICATION: The applicant is required to obtain a water quality certification in accordance with Section 401 of the Clean Water Act from the Maryland Department of the Environment. Any written comments concerning the work described above which relate to water quality certification must be received by the Wetlands and Waterways Program, Maryland Department of the Environment, Montgomery Park Business Center, 1800 Washington Boulevard, Suite 430, Baltimore, Maryland 21230-1708 within the comment period as specified above to receive consideration. The Section 401 certifying agency has a statutory limit of one year from the date of this public notice to make its decision.

COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS: Where applicable, the applicant has certified in this application that the proposed activity complies with and will be conducted in a manner consistent with the approved Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program. By this public notice, we are requesting the State concurrence or objection to the applicant’s consistency statement. It should be noted that the CZM Program has a statutory limit of 6 months to make its consistency determination.

The applicant must obtain any State or local government permits which may be required.

A preliminary review of this application indicates that the proposed work will not affect Federal listed threatened or endangered species or their critical habitat, pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, as amended. As the evaluation of this application continues, additional information may become available which could modify this preliminary determination.

Review of the latest published version of the National Register of Historic Places indicates that no registered properties listed as eligible for inclusion, therein, are located at the site of the proposed work. Currently unknown archeological, scientific, prehistoric, or historical data may be lost or destroyed by the work to be accomplished under the request permit.

The evaluation of the impact of this project on the public interest will include application of the guidelines promulgated by the Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under authority of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.

Any person who has an interest which may be adversely affected by the issuance of this permit may request a public hearing. The request, which must be in writing, must be received by the District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, Mr. Steven Harman, Project Manager, Maryland Section Southern, 2 Hopkins Plaza, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, within the comment period as specified above to receive consideration. Also it must clearly set forth the interest which may be adversely affected by this activity and the manner in which the interest may be adversely affected.

It is requested that you communicate this information concerning the proposed work to any persons know by you to be interested and not being known to this office, who did not receive a copy of this notice.

FOR THE DISTRICT ENGINEER:

Kathy B. Anderson Chief, Maryland Section Southern