DISCLAIMER: Please download the attached PDF version of this notice for complete information, proper formatting, and inclusion of tables and figures.
PUBLIC NOTICE
Issue Date: February 17, 2017
Comment Deadline: March 20, 2017
Corps Action ID Number: SAW-2013-02417
The Wilmington District, Corps of Engineers (Corps) received an application from Camp
Davis Industrial Park Inc., seeking Department of the Army authorization to discharge fill
material into 0.41 acre of wetlands and 3.53 acres of tributaries (ditches), associated with
the construction of commercial office / industrial space in Holly Ridge, Onslow County,
North Carolina.
Specific plans and location information are described below and shown on the attached
plans. This Public Notice and all attached plans are also available on the Wilmington
District Web Site:
http://www.saw.usace.army.mil/Missions/RegulatoryPermitProgram.aspx
Applicant: Camp Davis Industrial Park, Inc.
C/o Thomas C. Rollins
Post Office Box 38
Holly Ridge, North Carolina 28445
AGENT (if applicable): Southern Environmental Group, Inc. (SEGi)
C/o Dana A. Lutheran
5315 South College Road, Suite E
Wilmington, North Carolina 28412
Authority
The Corps evaluates this application and decides whether to issue, conditionally issue, or
deny the proposed work pursuant to applicable procedures of the following Statutory
Authorities:
X - Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344)
- Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403)
- Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (33 U.S.C. 1413)
Location
Directions to Site: The site is located at 1 Bacon Drive, within the incorporated limits of
Holly Ridge, Onslow County, North Carolina, on the west side of Hwy 17, approximately
0.2 miles south of its intersection with Hwy 50.
Project Area: 158.27 acres
Nearest Town: Holly Ridge
Nearest Waterway: Unnamed Tributary to Cypress Branch
River Basin: New River
Latitude and Longitude: 34.493414° N, 77.564263° W
Existing Site Conditions
The project area was historically used as a spray field to treat wastewater from a meat
processing operation. The majority of the site, including the wetlands, have been cleared
and mowed and are continuously maintained. The site contains 2.742 acres of wetlands
and 4.142 acres of Relatively Permanent Waters / Tributaries. The tributaries on the site
primarily consist of a network of drainage canals, dug primarily through hydric soils and
are dug deep enough (4+ feet) to intercept the shallow water table year round.
Soils throughout the entire site are mapped as Leon fine sand. There is a small forested
wetland approximately 0.10 acre in size located in the center of the site. The vegetation
in this wetland consists of Pinus taeda, Morella cerifera, Baccharis halimifolia and
Asptenium platyneuron. The remaining wetlands on the site are emergent herbaceous
wetlands primarily consisting of Salix nigra, Ludwigia repens, Polygonum
hyropiperoides, Sorghum halepense and Andropogon sp.. The upland portions of the site
consist primarily of Sorghum halepense. The tributaries and wetlands onsite drain to
Cypress Creek, which flows to Batts Mill Creek which is a Traditionally Navigable
Water.
Applicant’s Stated Purpose
“To provide commercial office / industrial space, with direct access to Hwy 17, to meet
local and regional demand, in a rapidly growing area of Onslow County, North Carolina.”
Project Description
The project includes two phases and will consist of the installation of roads, parking lots,
utilities, stormwater retention ponds and buildings, which will support the industrial
complex (see attached site plan). This will involve permanently filling 0.41 acre of
wetlands and 3.53 acres of RPW / Tributaries (ditches).
Avoidance and Minimization
The applicant provided the following information in support of efforts to avoid and/or
minimize impacts to the aquatic environment: “The applicant designed the site plan to
avoid impacting the most functionally valuable wetlands (2.44 acres), which will be
placed into strict preservation.”
Compensatory Mitigation
The applicant offered the following compensatory mitigation plan to offset unavoidable
functional loss to the aquatic environment: “Due to the low functional value of the
wetlands on this site, and the fact that the majority of impacts will be to ditches,
mitigation is being proposed through preservation of the remaining wetlands within the
property boundaries.” The proposed preservation area includes 2.44 acres of wetlands
and 0.12 acre of RPW / Tributaries (ditches).
Essential Fish Habitat
Pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, this
Public Notice initiates the Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) consultation requirements. The
Corps’ initial determination is that the proposed project would not effect EFH or
associated fisheries managed by the South Atlantic or Mid Atlantic Fishery Management
Councils or the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Cultural Resources
Pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, Appendix C of
33 CFR Part 325, and the 2005 Revised Interim Guidance for Implementing Appendix C,
the District Engineer consulted district files and records and the latest published version
of the National Register of Historic Places and initially determines that:
- Should historic properties, or properties eligible for inclusion in the National
Register, be present within the Corps’ permit area; the proposed activity requiring
the DA permit (the undertaking) is a type of activity that will have no potential to
cause an effect to an historic properties.
- No historic properties, nor properties eligible for inclusion in the National
Register, are present within the Corps’ permit area; therefore, there will be no
historic properties affected. The Corps subsequently requests concurrence from
the SHPO (or THPO).
- Properties ineligible for inclusion in the National Register are present within the
Corps’ permit area; there will be no historic properties affected by the proposed
work. The Corps subsequently requests concurrence from the SHPO (or THPO).
- Historic properties, or properties eligible for inclusion in the National Register,
are present within the Corps’ permit area; however, the undertaking will have no
adverse effect on these historic properties. The Corps subsequently requests
concurrence from the SHPO (or THPO).
- Historic properties, or properties eligible for inclusion in the National Register,
are present within the Corps’ permit area; moreover, the undertaking may have an
adverse effect on these historic properties. The Corps subsequently initiates
consultation with the SHPO (or THPO).
X - The proposed work takes place in an area known to have the potential for the
presence of prehistoric and historic cultural resources; however, the area has not
been formally surveyed for the presence of cultural resources. No sites eligible
for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places are known to be present
in the vicinity of the proposed work. Additional work may be necessary to
identify and assess any historic or prehistoric resources that may be present.
The District Engineer’s final eligibility and effect determination will be based upon
coordination with the SHPO and/or THPO, as appropriate and required, and with full
consideration given to the proposed undertaking’s potential direct and indirect effects on
historic properties within the Corps-indentified permit area.
Endangered Species
Pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the Corps reviewed the project area,
examined all information provided by the applicant and consulted the latest North
Carolina Natural Heritage Database. Based on available information:
X - The Corps determines that the proposed project would not affect federally listed
endangered or threatened species or their formally designated critical habitat.
- The Corps determines that the proposed project may affect federally listed
endangered or threatened species or their formally designated critical habitat.
The Corps initiates consultation under Section 7 of the ESA and will not
make a permit decision until the consultation process is complete.
The Corps is not aware of the presence of species listed as threatened or
endangered or their critical habitat formally designated pursuant to the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) within the project area. The Corps will
make a final determination on the effects of the proposed project upon additional
review of the project and completion of any necessary biological assessment
and/or consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and/or National
Marine Fisheries Service.
Other Required Authorizations
The Corps forwards this notice and all applicable application materials to the appropriate
State agencies for review.
North Carolina Division of Water Resources (NCDWR): The Corps will generally not
make a final permit decision until the NCDWR issues, denies, or waives the state
Certification as required by Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (PL 92-500). The receipt
of the application and this public notice, combined with the appropriate application fee, at
the NCDWR Central Office in Raleigh constitutes initial receipt of an application for a
401 Certification. A waiver will be deemed to occur if the NCDWR fails to act on this
request for certification within sixty days of receipt of a complete application. Additional
information regarding the 401 Certification may be reviewed at the NCDWR Central
Office, 401 and Buffer Permitting Unit, 512 North Salisbury Street, Raleigh, North
Carolina 27604-2260. All persons desiring to make comments regarding the application
for a 401 Certification should do so, in writing, by March 20, 2017 to:
NCDWR Central Office
Attention: Ms. Karen Higgins, 401 and Buffer Permitting Unit
(USPS mailing address): 1617 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1617
Or,
(physical address): 512 North Salisbury Street, Raleigh, North Carolina 27604
North Carolina Division of Coastal Management (NCDCM):
X - The application did not include a certification that the proposed work complies
with and would be conducted in a manner that is consistent with the approved
North Carolina Coastal Zone Management Program. Pursuant to 33 CFR 325.2
(b)(2) the Corps cannot issue a Department of Army (DA) permit for the
proposed work until the applicant submits such a certification to the Corps and
the NCDCM, and the NCDCM notifies the Corps that it concurs with the
applicant’s consistency certification. As the application did not include the
consistency certification, the Corps will request, upon receipt,, concurrence or
objection from the NCDCM.
- Based upon all available information, the Corps determines that this application
for a Department of Army (DA) permit does not involve an activity which would
affect the coastal zone, which is defined by the Coastal Zone Management (CZM)
Act (16 U.S.C. § 1453).
Evaluation
The decision whether to issue a permit will be based on an evaluation of the probable
impacts including cumulative impacts of the proposed activity on the public interest.
That decision will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of
important resources. The benefit which reasonably may be expected to accrue from the
proposal must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments. All factors
which may be relevant to the proposal will be considered including the cumulative effects
thereof; among those are conservation, economics, aesthetics, general environmental
concerns, wetlands, historic properties, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, flood plain
values (in accordance with Executive Order 11988), land use, navigation, shoreline
erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy
needs, safety, food and fiber production, mineral needs, considerations of property
ownership, and, in general, the needs and welfare of the people. For activities involving
the discharge of dredged or fill materials in waters of the United States, the evaluation of
the impact of the activity on the public interest will include application of the
Environmental Protection Agency’s 404(b)(1) guidelines.
Commenting Information
The Corps of Engineers is soliciting comments from the public; Federal, State and local
agencies and officials, including any consolidated State Viewpoint or written position of
the Governor; Indian Tribes and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate
the impacts of this proposed activity. Any comments received will be considered by the
Corps of Engineers to determine whether to issue, modify, condition or deny a permit for
this proposal. To make this decision, comments are used to assess impacts on endangered
species, historic properties, water quality, general environmental effects and the other
public interest factors listed above. Comments are used in the preparation of an
Environmental Assessment (EA) and/or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Comments are also used to
determine the need for a public hearing and to determine the overall public interest of the
proposed activity.
Any person may request, in writing, within the comment period specified in this notice,
that a public hearing be held to consider the application. Requests for public hearings
shall state, with particularity, the reasons for holding a public hearing. Requests for a
public hearing shall be granted, unless the District Engineer determines that the issues
raised are insubstantial or there is otherwise no valid interest to be served by a hearing.
The Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District will receive written comments pertinent to
the proposed work, as outlined above, until 5pm, March 20, 2017. Comments should be
submitted to Brennan Dooley, Wilmington Regulatory Field Office,
69 Darlington Avenue, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403 , at (910) 251-4694.
DISCLAIMER: Please download the attached PDF version of this notice for complete information, proper formatting, and inclusion of tables and figures.