JOINT PUBLIC NOTICE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS AND STATE OF ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

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1 REPLY TO AT1'11!NTION OF: DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY U.S. ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT, MOBILE DISTRICT P.O. BOX 2288 MOBILE, ALABAMA CESAM-RD Marh 19, 2014 PUBLIC NOTICE NO. SAM MBM T WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: JOINT PUBLIC NOTICE U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS AND STATE OF ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROPOSED LOCUST FORK MITIGATION BANK IN BLOUNT COUNTY, ALABAMA T is Distrit has reeived a omplete mitigation banking prospetus for the establishment o a mitigation bank referred to as the Loust Fork Mitigation Bank. Please mmuniate this information to interested parties. BANK SPONSOR: Loust Fork Mitigation Bank Westervelt Eologial Servies Attention: Mr. John MGuire 2128 Moores Mill Road, Suite B Auburn, Alabama Westervelt Eologial Servies is proposing to establish the are Loust Fork ommerial mitigation bank to generate wetland and stream mitigation redits for purhase by interested Department of Army (DOA) permit appliants in order to fulfill ompensatory mitigation requirements for various projet-related wetland and stream impats and losses subjet to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) regulatory authority pursuant to Setion 404 of the Clean Water At and Setion 10 of the Rivers and Harbors At. Approval for DCA permittees to use mitigation bank redits would be determined on a ase-by-ase basis at the time of permit evaluation. This mitigation bank is loated in the Loust Fork Watershed (HUC ) in Blount County, Alabama. More speifially the projet is loated in Setion 34, Township 10 South, Range 2 East, at 34 07'27.29" N, 86 25"34.64" W, approximately 1.5 miles west of Snead, Alabama. The property is adjaent to the Loust Fork River whih is a tributary to the Blak Warrior River. The proposed mitigation bank site ontains 7,781.41inear feet of stream within 5 unnamed tributaries to Loust Fork, 3,831.9 linear feet of riparian area along one side of Loust Fork River, 7.5 ares of wetlands, and 51.9 ares of uplands. The proposed

2 CESAM-RD Marh 19, 2014 PUBLIC NOTICE NO. SAM MBM se ie area would be the Loust Fork Watershed. Use of the mitigation bank outside of designated servie area would require authorization on a ase-by-ase basis and the use of the Mobile Distrit Proximity Fator Method. The mitigation bank site has been impated by historial farming operations and is urrently open attle pastures and inised stream hannels. Wetland hydrology is urrently being evaluated using groundwater monitoring wells. The 7.4 ares of wetlands within the proposed Loust Fork Mitigation Bank will be enhaned by replanting trees to return a regionally speifi Syamore-Sweetgum-Amerian Elm fo ested eosystem. Of these wetlands, 3.4 ares will be used to generate wetland mitigation redits. The remainder of wetlands is loated within stream riparian zones. The site ontains 51.9 ares of uplands that are proposed to be replanted bak to a regionally speifi Shortleaf Pine-Oak forested eosystem. The appliant states that referene sites will be used to develop eologial suess riteria for both habitat types. The Mobile Distrit Mitigation Banking Interageny Review Team (IRT) is urrently evaluating the proposed mitigation strategy. The mitigation bank proposes in-stream work on 4 of the 5 unnamed tributaries to Loust Fork. Within these streams, the banker proposes to aomplish Priority 1 (albng 5,227.8 linear feet), and Priority 3 (along linear feet) stream hannel restoration/enhanement to restore the urrent "G" stream hannel types bak to the target "B and C" stream hannel types. The stream hannel restoration/enhanement ativities will restore the pattern, profile, and dimension of the stream hannels to mimi similar unimpated referene stream hannel types in the watershed. Along these tributaries, stream mitigation redits will be generated by enhaning the upland and wetland riparian buffers by planting trees to return the previously mentioned regionally speifi forested eosystems. One unnamed triutary will generate stream mitigation redits through linear feet of riparian bqffer preservation along existing "8" stream hannel type. Along the Loust Fork River, stream mitigation redits will be generated by 2,305.1 linear feet of riparian buffer preservation and 1,526.8 linear feet of riparian buffer enhanement on one side of the river. The IRT is urrently evaluating the proposed riparian buffer enhanement strategy. On 10 April 2008 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Prbtetion Ageny issued new regulations, in the Federal Register, Vol. 73, No. 70, ggverning ompensatory mitigation for losses of aquati resoures. The new regulation, 33 CFR 332- Compensatory Mitigation for Losses of Aquati Resoures, establishes performane standards and riteria for mitigation projets inluding mitigation banks. Part 2

3 CqSAM-RD Marh 19, 2014 PUBLIC NOTICE NO. SAM MBM 33CFR addresses requirements for establishing, operating, and maintaining mi 'igation banks that provide redits to satisfy mitigation requirements of the Clean Water Aj, Setion 404 permit program. Reognizing the potential benefits mitigation banking ottr,rs for streamlining the permit evaluation proess and providing more effetive mi fpation for authorized impats to wetlands, the agenies enourage the establishment an appropriate use if mitigation banks in the Setion 404 program. This guidane bl ame effetive 9 June A interageny group of Federal and State regulatory and resoure ageny representative. re erred to as the IRT, is signatory to a banking instrument and oversees the establishment, usl and operation of a mitigation bank. Information provided in the prospetus will serve as th basis for establishing a banking instrument whih will desribe in detail the physial and le al harateristis of the bank and how the bank will be established and operated. Thl= Corps is soliiting omments from the publi; Federal, State and loal agenies and o ials; Indian Tribes; and other interested parties for onsideration while evaluating this proposed ativity. Copies of all omments reeived will be distributed to the other m mbers of the IRT and the bank sponsor for full onsideration in the development of the mi i gation bank. I Coirrespondene onerning this notie should refer to Publi Notie Number SAM f 27-MBM and should be direted to the Distrit Commander, U.S. Army Engineer Distrit, M ile, Attention: Regulatory Division, Post Offie Box 2288, Mobile, Alabama , w i a opy to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Mobile Branh, Co stal Setion, 3664 Dauphin Street, Suite B, Mobile, Alabama Cqrnments onerning this Publi Notie should be reeived no later than 30 days from the date of this publi notie. If you have any questions onerning this publiation, you may ontat the projet manager, Mr. Mihael Moxey, at (251) or via at mihael.b.moxey@usae.army.mil. For additional information about our Regulatory Program, Please visit our web site at: E losures MOBILE DISTRICT U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 3

4 ll(.. '-1. A-t!.r.e.r j--f. (2.. rv -, l..f-2(/ w N A Loust Fork Mitigation Bank Servie Area Jefferson Proposed Primary Servie Area 0 watersheds D Bas1ns WESTERVELT ECOLOGICAL SERVICES FIGURE 6

5 w"'r( /0 S 1 ' / Jt} llt ov4" - 1 AL ll (.L/ A-S R vj l )!>e::l-to ' / -. 4Zt./ lj Loust Fork Mil ie ation Bank SitP Drai n <ge Are.l Figure Drainage Area Ares WESTERVELT ECOLOGlCAL SERVICES FIGURE 8

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