SAW-2017-01312

PUBLIC NOTICE

US Army Corps Of Engineers

Wilmington District

Issue Date: 08/24/2018

Comment Deadline: 09/24/2018

Corps Action ID Number: SAW-2017-01312

The Wilmington District, Corps of Engineers (Corps) received an application from the Airport Commission of Forsyth County seeking Department of the Army authorization to impact approximately 1.13 acres of wetland and 4,079 linear feet of jurisdictional stream channel associated with the following: 1) Extension of Taxilane L and new maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities; 2) MRO auto parking and apron expansion; 3) Runway 15-33 obstruction removal; 4) Runway 22 safety area extension; 5) New haul road; and 6) Construction of an erosion control/stormwater basin for the Smith Reynolds Airport in Forsyth 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 at: http://www.saw.usace.army.mil/Missions/RegulatoryPermitProgram.aspx

APPLICANT: Airport Commission of Forsyth County

Mr. Mark Davidson

3801 N. Liberty Street

Winston-Salem, NC 27105

Mark.davidson@smithreynolds.org

336-767-6361

AGENT: Clear Water Environmental Consultants, Inc.

Mr. R. Clement Riddle

32 Clayton Street

Asheville, NC 28801

clement@cwenv.com

828-698-9800

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:

Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344)

Location Description: The project site is located within Smith Reynolds Airport property, which is located at 3801 N. Liberty Street, #204, Winston-Salem (Forsyth County), North Carolina.

Project Area (acres): ~94 Nearest Town: Winston-Salem

Nearest Waterway: Brushy Fork

River Basin: Yadkin

Latitude and Longitude: 36.143600 N, -80.221970 W

The Proposed Project area occurs within the Smith Reynolds Airport property boundary. The airport property is mostly developed with aprons, taxiways, parking, hangers, buildings, other airfield structures, and maintained in-field grassed lawns. Elevations on-site range from approximately 952 above mean sea level (MSL) to 1,030 feet above MSL. Seven community types were identified on the airport property: 1) Virginia Pine (Pinus virginiana) Monoculture; 2) Virginia Pine Dominated Forest; 3) Mixed Hardwood/Virginia Pine Forest; 4) Stream Bank and Riparian Forest; 5) Wetlands; 6) Maintained Grass Fields; and 7) Abandoned Field/Early Successional Scrub Community.

As stated by the applicant, the purpose of the Proposed Project is to enact several development recommendations provided within the 2012 Master Plan Update and Associated Layout Plant and those requested by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). These recommendations include satisfying FAA standards and improving overall efficiency and safety at Smith Reynolds Airport.

The Proposed Project will consist of the following developments/improvements: 1) Extension of Taxilane L and new MRO facilities; 2) MRO auto parking and apron expansion; 3) Runway 15-33 obstruction removal; 4) Runway 22 safety area extension; 5) New haul road; and 6). Construction of an erosion control/stormwater basin.

Descriptions of the various Proposed Project developments/improvements are as follows:

1. Taxilane L and new MRO facilities – Construction of a 1,650-foot Taxilane extension and three aircraft hangars for use as future MRO facilities. Taxilane L will be a new taxilane located on an existing concrete ramp and will provide access to the proposed MRO facilities. Each MRO hanger would contain approximately 50,000 square feet of space (totaling 150,000 square feet). These hangers may be utilized in the future for air cargo and corporate aircraft.

2. MRO Auto Parking and Apron Expansion – In support of the three planned MRO facilities, an 85,000 square foot parking lot is proposed north and adjacent to the hanger facilities. The proposed lot would provide up to 170 spaces or approximately 56 spaces per hanger. In addition, a 242,000 square foot concrete apron would provide aircraft space and mobility from the Taxilane L extension to the MRO hanger facilities.

3. Runway 15-33 Obstruction Removal – Obstructions in the form of trees and excess terrain currently penetrate the runway Object Free Area and imaginary surface planes east of Runway 15-33. In total, approximately 24.2 acres of property would be regarded to resolve this deficiency.

4. Runway 22 Safety Area Expansion – The existing runway safety area for Runway 22 does not meet current FAA requirements for the length of the runway safety area, which extends past the end of the runway. The runway safety area would be extended to a total of 300 feet from the end of Runway 22 using material from the Runway 15-33 obstruction removal project.

5. Haul Road – The proposed construction of the haul road would occur entirely on airport property and would utilize a portion of an existing gravel road network.

6. Erosion Control/Stormwater Basin – The construction of a new erosion control/stormwater basin would be utilized for the Taxilane L Extension and new MRO facilities with auto parking and apron expansion. This basin would be converted to a stormwater retention basin upon completion of previously mentions Projects 1-5.

The applicant provided the following information in support of efforts to avoid and/or minimize impacts to the aquatic environment:

"Smith Reynolds Airport considered a variety of constraints, including impacts to wetlands and waters of the U.S. The applicant has avoided and minimized impacts to wetlands to the greatest extent practicable and feasible while still accomplishing the overall project purpose. The project as proposed avoids approximately 5,391 linear feet of stream (57%) and 0.653 acre (37%) of wetlands."

The applicant offered the following compensatory mitigation plan to offset unavoidable functional loss to the aquatic environment:

The applicant has attempted to avoid and minimize impacts where possible and will compensate to the extent practicable, for the remaining unavoidable losses with mitigation. The applicant proposes the following mitigation for the unavoidable impacts to water of the U.S. (Table 1):

table 1: Applicant Mitigation Proposal

The Applicant has rated/classified streams and wetlands within the Proposed Project area using the North Carolina methodology for streams and wetlands (i.e., North Carolina Stream Assessment Methodology and North Carolina Wetland Assessment Methodology) and their findings are listed below in Table 2. It is the opinion of the Applicant that the mitigation ratio for all stream and wetland impacts should not exceed a 1:1 ratio. The applicant proposes to compensate for impacts associated with the Proposed Project by offering payment into the NCDEQ-Division of Mitigation Services (DMS). Private mitigation banks, within the watershed of the Proposed Project, did not have credits available at the time of the Applicant’s request.

Table 2. Applicant's Stream and Wetland Ratings/Classifcations

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 affect EFH or associated fisheries managed by the South Atlantic or Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Councils or the National Marine Fisheries Service.

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:

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).

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.

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:

The Corps determines that the proposed project would not affect federally listed endangered or threatened species or their formally designated critical habitat.

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 September 28, 2018, 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

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).

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.

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 will 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 Project, as outlined above, until 5pm, September 24, 2018. Comments should be submitted to Bryan Roden-Reynolds, Regulatory Project Manager, Asheville

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