CONCORD, Mass. – The town of Danvers is seeking a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District to conduct work in waters of the United States in conjunction with constructing a pier, placing floats and doing other work in Danvers, Mass.

The town of Danvers is proposing to establish a reconfiguration zone, the placement of new floats and a gangway, the replacement of existing floats and the relocation of existing steel piles. The existing structures were authorized by the Corps under permit numbers NEDOD-R-86-134 and 9-75-182. The proposed project includes work in navigable waters for the establishment of a reconfiguration zone, the construction and maintenance of a timber pier, a gangway, a float, a kayak launch, three other floats, two steel piles, the replacement of 24 floats, the relocation of four existing steel piles, and two winter float storage zones.

The work is proposed in the Crane River at McDewell Avenue in Danvers.

The proposed project will impact 0.05 acre of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) for various species and life stages. The Corps has made a preliminary determination that the site-specific adverse effect will not be substantial. Further consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service regarding EFH conservation recommendations is being conducted and will be concluded prior to the final permit decision.

The application for the federal permit was filed with the Corps in compliance with Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, which provides for federal regulation of any work in, or affecting navigable waters of the United States. The public notice, with more specifics on the proposed work, can be viewed on the Corps website at http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/PublicNotices.aspx.

Public comments on this work proposed by the town of Danvers (file # NAE-2012-00292) should be forwarded no later than Feb. 20, 2013 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Regulatory Division (ATTN: Crystal Gardner), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager Crystal Gardner at 978-318-8332 or toll free at 800-343-4789 or 800-362-4367 (if calling from within Massachusetts) or by email to: crystal.i.gardner@usace.army.mil.