The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District received a permit application to conduct work in waters of the United States from HEP USA SPV 3 Saco LLC for proposed work in freshwater wetlands adjacent to Big Ledge Brook and other tributaries to the Saco River near 80 New County Road in Saco, Maine.

The proposed work involves the placement of permanent fill in freshwater wetlands in order to construct a 19.6-MW(AC) ground-mounted solar energy facility. The project will result in approximately 1.29 acres of permanent wetland impacts and the conversion of 7.43 acres of forested wetlands to scrub-shrub or emergent wetlands.

The applicant has stated that it has avoided and minimized waterway/wetland impacts to the maximum extent practicable. To compensate for unavoidable impacts to waterways and wetlands, the applicant proposes a one-time In-Lieu Fee contribution to the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program.

USACE is soliciting comments from members of the public; federal, state and local agencies; American Indian Tribes; and other interested parties to consider and evaluate the impacts of this proposed activity. The public notice with more detailed information is available for review on the District website at https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/PublicNotices, file # NAE-2019- 03016. Public comments on this proposed work should be forwarded no later than Dec. 14, 2023, to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Attn: Jami MacNeil, Regulatory Division, 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742 or by email to jami.e.macneil@usace.army.mil. Please reference file # NAE-2019-03016.

# # # 

Release No. MA 2023-34