CONCORD, Mass. – The city of Norwalk 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 replacing a culvert and realigning approximately 400 feet of stream channel in Norwalk, Conn.

The city of Norwalk is proposing to discharge dredged or fill material for the replacement of the existing 6-foot by 3.7-foot corrugated metal pipe arch culvert with a new 20-foot ConSpan arch culvert, and the grading, widening and realigning of approximately 400 linear feet of the stream channel.

The replacement of the existing culvert entails the removal of existing stone headwalls, relocation of a water main, reconfiguration of an existing sewer main located under the brook, removal of the stone retaining walls on the downstream side of the culvert and installation of retaining walls on both the upstream and downstream sides of the new culvert. The channel modifications include the excavation of approximately 400 linear feet of the brook in order to create a 20-foot wide channel with a 1-foot deep low flow channel at a slope of .037 percent from the downstream end of the replacement culvert.

The city of Norwalk has undertaken an effort to identify and fix problem flood areas along Keeler Brook. A 2007 flood abatement study found several crossings along the brook with limited conveyance of flow that were responsible for raised water surface elevations. The replacement of the Rowayton Avenue crossing is expected to be one stream crossing improvement in a long term effort to abate flooding problems along the Keeler Brook.

The application for the federal permit was filed by the city of Norwalk 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. The public notice, with more specifics on the proposed work, can be viewed on the Corps website at  http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Regulatory/Public%20Notices/.

Public comments on this proposal by the city of Norwalk (file # NAE-2012-1589) should be forwarded no later than Nov. 2, 2012 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Regulatory Division (ATTN: Michael Riccio), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager Michael Riccio at 978-318-8685 or toll free 800-343-4789 or 800-362-4367 (if calling from within Massachusetts) or by email to: michael.s.riccio@usace.army.mil.