Public Hearing held on Jameson Island Project
KANSAS CITY, Mo.— The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City District (Corps) and the Missouri Clean Water Commission (Commission) held a joint public hearing on Monday in regards to the Jameson Island Shallow Water Habitat Restoration Project at the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) office in Jefferson City, Mo. to a crowd of approximately 120 people.
The hearing was held to allow those in favor of the proposed project and opposed to the project to voice their concerns to the Commission and the Corps prior to the close of the public comment period. The Commission and MDNR are evaluating a request by the Corps for Section 401 Water Quality Certification for the proposed project. The Corps is completing a review of the proposed project under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and in accordance with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. The public is encouraged to provide their written comments on the project by the close of the public comment period on June 30.
The Jameson Island Unit Shallow Water Habitat (SWH) Restoration Project is a component of the Corps’ overall MRRP. The Corps is working cooperatively with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge on their existing public land to mitigate a portion of the diverse aquatic habitat that was lost as a result of the construction of the Corps’ BSNP by restoring SWH through construction of a side channel chute and a backwater.
The project is located on the refuge’s Jameson Island Unit, on the right descending bank of the Missouri River, near river miles 210.5 to 211.7, near the town of Arrow Rock, Saline County, Missouri. The project would restore 30 acres of SWH (27-acre chute and 3-acre backwater) and the dynamic river processes which maintain it for the benefit of native fish and wildlife species, including the endangered pallid sturgeon.
The Corps held an open forum public meeting on April 17 and addressed the Clean Water Commission on May 2. They also extended the public comment period on the project an additional 60 days, until June 30, 2012, in response to stakeholder requests.
Comments can be submitted by mail or emailed to addresses listed in the public notice. All comments received by the close of the comment period will be included and addressed in the Army Corps’ final report.
For additional information on the proposed project, you should contact the Army Corps of Engineers Project Manager at 816-389-3019. A Public Notice and DRAFT Project Implementation Report are available on the Corps’ website at www.nwk.usace.army.mil/regulatory/CurrentPN/currentnotices.htm. Comments on the proposed project can be submitted to the Corps until close of business on June 30, 2012.
Release no. PA-2012-36