CONCORD, Mass. – The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department is 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 placing fill, dredging and upgrading a state fishing access area in Charlotte, Vermont. The project purpose is to provide improved public boating access and safety.
The permit applicant proposes to place fill material and conduct dredging in Lake Champlain in conjunction with the upgrade of the existing Converse Bay State Fishing Access Area off Fishing Access Road in Charlotte. Work involves excavation of about 690 cubic yards of silt and granular material from an irregularly-shaped 6,000 square foot area extending a maximum of 120 feet beyond Ordinary High Water (OHW) to a depth of – 5.0 feet (OLW). It will be facilitated by construction of a temporary haul road extending 105 feet beyond OHW. The haul road will involve the temporary placement of about 488 cubic yards of stone and gravel below OHW, impacting about 5,372 square feet of lake bottom. A geo-textile filter curtain will be installed around the perimeter of the project area. The excavated material will be loaded into trucks, dewatered, and disposed of at an upland, non-wetland site.
Work will include installation of a 28-foot by 30-foot ramp extension using a cast-in-place concrete slab underlain by dense graded stone. An existing 5-foot protective stone apron will be repaired around the existing ramp and a new 5-foot wide stone apron will be constructed around the proposed ramp extension. The ramp will extend 70 feet beyond OHW. The ramp improvements will involve the placement of about 70 cubic yards of stone and concrete below OHW and will impact about 1,921 square feet of lake bottom below OHW. Work will also include removal of two existing steel rails located to the north of the boat ramp, extending 55 feet beyond OHW.
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; 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 U. S. The public notice, with more detailed information, can be viewed on the Corps website at http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/PublicNotices.aspx.
Public comments on this proposal (File # NAE-2013-1425) should be forwarded no later than Sept. 11, 2013 to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Vermont Project Office (ATTN: Angela Repella), 11 Lincoln Street, Suite 210, Essex Junction, Vermont 05452. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager Angela Repella at 802-872-2893 or 978-318-8639 or by email to angela.c.repella@usace.army.mil.