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Piscataquis County Commissioners seek permit to place fill to replace culvert with bridge at Church Road in Blanchard Township

Published July 21, 2015

CONCORD, Mass. – The Piscataquis County Commissioners are seeking a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District to conduct work in waters of the U.S. in conjunction with the replacement of a culvert with a bridge at Church Road in Blanchard Township, Maine.

 

The permit applicant proposes to place temporary and permanent fill material below the ordinary high water line of Blackstone Brook in Blanchard Township in order to replace an undersized culvert beneath Church Road with a single lane, 42-foot bridge span.

 

Dewatering the work site will require the installation of temporary cofferdams. The project will result in approximately 1,600 square feet of permanent and 3,370 square feet of temporary stream bed impact.   

 

The application for the federal permit was filed with the Corps in compliance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which regulates the discharge or fill of material in U.S. waters, including wetlands.

 

This proposed work may impact Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) for Atlantic salmon. This habitat consists of stream bottom composed of mixed sand, gravel, cobble and boulders. Long-term impact to this species is expected to be minimal with appropriate erosion control measures, in stream work windows, and other best management practices. Therefore, the Corps has made a preliminary determination that the site-specific adverse effect will be minimal. Further consultation with the federal resource agencies regarding EFH conservation recommendations is being conducted and will be concluded prior to the final permit decision. Similarly, consultation will be initiated regarding the presence of salmon as they are a federally listed endangered species.   

                                   

The public notice, with additional information, can be viewed on the Corps website at

www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/PublicNotices.aspx. The decision whether to issue a permit will be based on an evaluation of the probable impact of the proposed activity on the public interest.

 

Public comments referencing this permit request by the Piscataquis County Commissioners (File # NAE-2015-1223) should be forwarded no later than Aug. 4, 2015 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Maine Project Office (ATTN: Shawn Mahaney), 675 Western Ave., #3, Manchester, Maine 04351. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager Shawn Mahaney at 207-623-8367 or 978-318-8492 by email to shawn.b.mahaney@usace.army.mil.


Contact
Tim Dugan
978-318-8264
cenae-pa@usace.army.mil

Release no. 2015-063