Public Notice
U.S. Army Corps In Reply to Application Number
Of Engineers CENAB-OP-RMN (Ho DPW/Dorsey Run Road
Baltimore District Extended) 2003-61775-M02
PN 14-11 Comment Period: February 4, 2014 – March 6, 2014
THE PURPOSE OF THIS PUBLIC NOTICE IS TO SOLICIT COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE WORK DESCRIBED BELOW. AT THIS TIME, NO DECISION HAS BEEN MADE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT A PERMIT WILL BE ISSUED.
The Baltimore 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: Howard County Department of Public Works
ATTN: Mr. Tom Wilkins, P.E.
9250 Bendix Road
Columbia, Maryland 20145
LOCATION AND WATERWAY: Deep Run, unnamed tributaries, and adjacent wetlands, at Dorsey Run Road, Howard County, Maryland.
WORK: To discharge fill material into waters of the United States, including jurisdictional wetlands permanently impacting 18,545 square feet of nontidal wetlands and 278 linear feet (5,046 square feet) of stream associated with construction of Dorsey Run Road extended from station 544+77.91 to station 594+85.00. All work would be completed in accordance with the attached plans.
The Corps previously authorized this project on February 20, 2007, authorizing construction of Dorsey Run Road Extended under the Department of the Army (DA) Maryland State Programmatic General Permit-3 (MDSPGP-3), but the work has not started. The DA MDSPGP-3 authorization for the project expired on December 31, 2013. Therefore, authorization under a DA standard permit is now required for the project.
The applicant has proposed to avoid certain wetland and stream impacts by construction of a 60-foot bottomless concrete arch culvert from station 565+01.67 to station 565+94.35.
As mitigation for the wetlands impacts for this project, the applicant has paid into the State of Maryland wetland compensation fund. Further, as mitigation for the permanent stream impacts, the applicant completed a stream restoration project in a tributary to Deep Run, near Hi-Tech Drive, Howard County, Maryland.
The purpose of the project is to extend existing Dorsey Run Road.
If you have any questions concerning this matter, please contact Mr. Jon Romeo at
(410) 962-6079 or jon.romeo@usace.army.mil.
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 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, 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, and, in general, the needs and welfare of the people.
The evaluation of the impact of the work described above on the public interest will include application of the Clean Water Act Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines promulgated by the Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under authority of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
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 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. Jon Romeo, CENAB-OP-RMN] P.O. Box 1715, Baltimore, Maryland 21203-1715, within the comment period specified above.
SECTION 401 Water Quality Certification: The Maryland Department of the Environment issued Section 401 Water Quality Certification (WQC) on
September 14, 2011. The WQC expires on September 30, 2015.
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 listed 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 requested permit.
Any person who has an interest that 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, US Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, [Attn: Mr. Jon Romeo, CENAB-OP-RMN], PO Box 1715, Baltimore, Maryland 21203-1715, within the comment period specified as above to receive consideration. Also, the request must clearly state 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 the foregoing information concerning the proposed work to any persons known 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:
Joseph P. DaVia
Chief, Maryland Section Northern