CONCORD, Mass. – Central Maine Power 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 remediation of sediments in Augusta, Maine.
The project includes work in waters of the U.S. associated with the placement of fill material below the high tide line of Bond Brook in conjunction with the remediation of manufactured gas plant-related materials from the sediments and adjacent stream bank along Bond Brook and adjacent wetlands at Mount Vernon Avenue in Augusta.
The remedial action will include a bank remedy, consisting of the placement of Reactive Core Mat (RCM) and armoring along approximately 450 linear feet of the western bank of Bond Brook; and a brook remedy in the reach adjacent to the former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP), consisting of placing approximately 6 inches of clean fill over the bottom of Bond Brook within an 18,000-square-foot area.
In total, approximately 20,200 square feet (0.463 acre) of fill material is to be placed below the high tide line of Bond Brook and along the adjacent embankment off Mount Vernon Avenue in Augusta. This action will result in approximately 18,000 square feet of permanent stream bottom impact and 2,200 square feet of permanent stream bottom impact associated with the armoring of the embankment. In addition, approximately 10,600 square feet of temporary stream bottom impact will occur in association with the area within the proposed coffer dams below the high tide line surrounding the work area.
The project has been designed such that the impacts to wetlands, waterways and riparian buffers have been avoided and minimized to the maximum extent practicable while maintaining the project objectives. All areas of temporarily disturbed soils, including access and construction areas will be re-graded, reseeded, and restored upon project completion.
The proposed project will impact 0.463 acre of Essential Fish Habitat for Atlantic salmon. This habitat consists of a tidally influenced portion of Bond Brook, consisting of mixed coarse and fine sediments. Temporary loss of this habitat may adversely affect the Atlantic salmon associated with temporary turbidity in the water column during construction and installation of fill in the stream bed. Impacts to these species are expected to be minimal with appropriate erosion control measures, in stream work windows, and other best management practices.
The proposed project is expected to have only short-term impacts on fish. However, 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 Essential Fish Habitat 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 of Engineers in compliance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which regulates the discharge or fill of material in United States waters, including
wetlands; and 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 can be viewed on the Corps website at http://www.nae.usace.army.mil. Select Regulatory/Permitting and then weekly public notices.
Public comments referencing this permit request (File # NAE-2010-01550) should be forwarded no later than Nov. 29, 2011 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Maine Project Office (ATTN: LeeAnn Neal), 675 Western Ave., #3, Manchester, Maine 04351. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager LeeAnn Neal at 207-623-8367 Ext. 2 or by email to LeeAnn.Neal@usace.army.mil.