CONCORD, Mass. – The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Gaming Authority 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 proposed road work for a planned casino in Taunton, Mass. The work is proposed in unnamed tributaries of the Cotley River and adjacent wetlands at the MA-24 and MA-140 interchange and Stevens Street in Taunton.
The work involves the discharge of fill material into 85,370 square feet (1.96 acres) of waters of the U.S. (including adjacent wetlands), including 68,770 square feet (1.58 acres) of permanent impacts and 16,600 square feet (0.38 acre) of temporary impacts, and 315 linear feet of an existing stream, in order to install new highway interchange exit and entrance ramps and lanes so as to increase highway capacity sufficiently to accommodate increased traffic expected to result from construction of the planned Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's proposed Project First Light destination resort casino on lands proposed to be taken into trust (Lands into Trust or LIT) by the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) on behalf of the Tribe.
The applicant has provided information on appropriate and practicable steps that have been or will be taken to avoid and minimize adverse impacts to the aquatic environment. As mitigation for the unavoidable permanent loss of 1.58 acres of wetlands and 315 linear feet of an existing stream, the applicant has proposed to restore approximately 0.66 acre of former wetlands and create an additional 1.52 acres of wetlands on the proposed LIT project site.
The proposed LIT is the subject of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) released by the Bureau of Indian Affairs on Sept. 5, 2014 (Federal Register 79:172, p. 53077). The FEIS can be reviewed and/or obtained via the internet at: http://www.mwteis .com.
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. The public notice, with more specifics on the proposed work, can be viewed on the Corps website at: http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/PublicNotices.aspx.
The Corps’ authority in this matter is limited to evaluation of impacts to waters of the U.S, including adjacent wetlands, pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, and to reaching a decision on whether to grant or deny a Department of the Army permit authorizing the discharge of dredged or fill material into those waters. The Corps has no role or decision-making authority concerning the LIT proposal under consideration by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Any comments which are beyond or outside the Corps' legal authority, that are received in response to this notice, will not be considered.
Public comments on the proposed work that may impact waters of the U.S. or wetlands (file #NAE-2012-01239) should be forwarded no later than Oct. 15, 2015 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Regulatory Division (ATTN: Alan Anacheka-Nasemann), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager Alan Anacheka-Nasemann at 978-318-8214 or toll free 800-343-4789 or 800-362-4367 (if calling from within Massachusetts) or by email to: alan.r.anacheka-nasemann@usace.army.mil.