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BREACH CLOSURES IN VERMILION PARISH
NAME OF APPLICANT:
Vermilion Parish Police Jury, c/o Sellers and Associates, Inc., 148-B
Easy Street, Lafayette, Louisiana 70506.
LOCATION OF WORK:
Adjacent along Vermilion Bay, approximately 5.0 miles southeast of
Intracoastal City, in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, as shown on the enclosed
drawings.
Location: Western
Breach: Latitude: 29°45ʹ44ʺ N / Longitude: -92°04ʹ45ʺ W, Eastern Breach: Latitude:
29°46ʹ32ʺ N / Longitude: -92°03ʹ09ʺ W, Hydrologic Unit Code: 08080103 – Vermilion
River Basin
CHARACTER OF
WORK:
For the Western Breach Site, conduct dredging operations within a 40-foot wide
by 180-foot long area and place 41 cubic yards of excavated material in a
30-foot wide by 130-foot long placement area along Vermilion Bay, install a
100-foot wide vinyl sheet pile structure, and two 20-foot wide by 20-foot long
concrete mats or rip rap surrounded by two 50-wide by 50-foot long work areas.
Approximately 0.17 of an acre of jurisdictional fresh marsh and cypress
wetlands would be permanently impacted via project implementation. For the
Eastern Breach Site, conduct dredging operations within a 40-foot wide by
180-foot long area and place 223 cubic yards of excavated material in a 20-foot
wide by 210-foot long placement area along Vermilion Bay, install a 80-foot
wide vinyl sheet pile structure, and two 20-foot wide by 20-foot long concrete
mats or rip rap surrounded by two 50-wide by 50-foot long work areas.
Approximately 0.23 of an acre of jurisdictional fresh marsh and cypress
wetlands would be permanently impacted via project implementation. The purpose
of closing both breach sites would prevent saltwater intrusion from the
Vermilion Bay and the placement of excavated fill material would protect
shoreline from erosion. The applicant agrees to compensatefor
wetland impacts by purchasing credits at a Department of the Army approved
mitigation bank.
JOINT PUBLIC NOTICE
March 7, 2016
United States Army
Corps of Engineers
New Orleans District
Regulatory Branch
Post Office Box 60267
New Orleans, Louisiana 70160-0267
State of Louisiana
Department of Environmental Quality
ATTN: Water Quality Certifications
Post Office Box 4313
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70821-4313
(504) 862-2284
Sara.B.Fortuna@usace.army.mil
Project Manager
Sara Fortuna
Permit Application Number
MVN-2016-00068-WKK
(225) 219-3526
Elizabeth.Hill@la.gov
Project Manager
Karen Latuso
WQC Application Number
WQC 160129-03
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: [X] 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, Water
Quality Certifications, 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).
BREACH CLOSURES IN VERMILION PARISH
NAME OF APPLICANT: Vermilion Parish Police Jury, c/o Sellers and Associates, Inc., 148-B Easy
Street, Lafayette, Louisiana 70506.
LOCATION OF WORK: Adjacent along Vermilion Bay, approximately 5.0 miles southeast of
Intracoastal City, in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, as shown on the enclosed drawings.
Location: Western Breach: Latitude: 29°4544 N / Longitude: -92°0445 W, Eastern Breach: Latitude:
29°4632 N / Longitude: -92°0309 W, Hydrologic Unit Code: 08080103 Vermilion River Basin
CHARACTER OF WORK: For the Western Breach Site, conduct dredging operations within a 40-foot
wide by 180-foot long area and place 41 cubic yards of excavated material in a 30-foot wide by 130foot long placement area along Vermilion Bay, install a 100-foot wide vinyl sheet pile structure, and
two 20-foot wide by 20-foot long concrete mats or rip rap surrounded by two 50-wide by 50-foot long
work areas. Approximately 0.17 of an acre of jurisdictional fresh marsh and cypress wetlands would
be permanently impacted via project implementation. For the Eastern Breach Site, conduct dredging
operations within a 40-foot wide by 180-foot long area and place 223 cubic yards of excavated
material in a 20-foot wide by 210-foot long placement area along Vermilion Bay, install a 80-foot wide
vinyl sheet pile structure, and two 20-foot wide by 20-foot long concrete mats or rip rap surrounded by
two 50-wide by 50-foot long work areas. Approximately 0.23 of an acre of jurisdictional fresh marsh
and cypress wetlands would be permanently impacted via project implementation. The purpose of
closing both breach sites would prevent saltwater intrusion from the Vermilion Bay and the placement
of excavated fill material would protect shoreline from erosion. The applicant agrees to compensate
-2for wetland impacts by purchasing credits at a Department of the Army approved mitigation bank.
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. Similar 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.
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.
The application for this proposed project is on file with the Louisiana Department of Environmental
Quality and may be examined during weekdays between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Copies may be
obtained upon payment of costs of reproduction.
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.
-3The 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. Issuance of
this public notice solicits input from the State Archeologist and State Historic Preservation Officer
regarding potential impacts to cultural resources.
The New Orleans District has determined that the project footprint is located in wetlands and
waters known to be utilized by the West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) and determined the
activity is not likely to adversely affect the West Indian Manatee and no effect on the Piping Plover
(Charadrius melodus) based on the Standard Local Operating Procedure for Endangered Species
(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. If this permit is issued, the applicant has
agreed to follow the Standard Manatee Conditions for In-Water Activities.
This notice initiates the Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) consultation requirements of the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The applicant's proposal would result in the
destruction or alteration of 0.4 of an acre 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, Water Quality Certifications, 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.
The applicant has certified that the proposed activity described in the application complies with
and will be conducted in a manner that is consistent with the Louisiana Coastal Resources Program.
The Department of the Army permit will not be issued unless the applicant received approval or a
waiver of the Coastal Use Permit by the Department of Natural Resources.
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.
Darrell S. Barbara
Chief, Western Evaluation Section
Enclosure