Saunders County Highway

Legal Notice Below

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NOTICE OF INTENT TO CERTIFY – Section 401

NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF WATER, ENERGY, AND ENVIRONMENT

WATER PLANNING DIVISION

LINCOLN, NEBRASKA

In accordance with Section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. Par. 1251 et seq.), certification that Title 117 – Nebraska Surface Water Quality Standards (Nebraska Administrative Code) will not be violated has been applied for to the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment (NDWEE) by the persons listed below for discharges requiring Federal permits or licenses.

Saunders County Highway has applied for a Section 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to conduct activities in Waters of the United States. The proposed project requires state Water Quality Certification in accordance with Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401(a)(1), which states that:

1. Any applicant for a Federal license or permit to conduct any activity including, but not limited to, the construction or operation of facilities, which may result in any discharge into the navigable waters, shall provide the licensing or permitting agency a certification from the State in which the discharge originates or will originate, or, if appropriate, from the interstate water pollution control agency having jurisdiction over the navigable waters at the point where the discharge originates or will originate, that any such discharge will comply with the applicable provisions of sections 301, 302, 303, 306, and 307 of this title. 

Saunders County Highway is seeking to replace the existing single span 47’ steel thru-truss bridge that crosses Hobson Branch in Saunders County, Ceresco South.

            The scope of this project is to replace the existing single span 47’ steel thru-truss bridge. This bridge is not listed as a Nebraska Historic Eligible Bridge. The structure crosses Hobson Branch. It is proposed to replace the existing structure with a triple 12’ x 10’ x 42’ concrete box culvert on a 15 degree skew, left hand back. 180 tons of Rock Rip Rap will be placed at the

outlet of the proposed structure as a part of this project. Following construction of the proposed

structure, the roadway will be graded and tapered to match the existing roadway approximately

250’ east and 450’ west of the existing structure with less than 1’of grade raise.

            The existing bridge structure will be dismantled and removed from an upland position. Fill from the placement of the proposed structure will permanently impact 0.013 acres of wetlands, 0.015 acres below Ordinary High Watermark and 76 linear feet of channel. Temporary impacts caused by excavation associated with the placement of the proposed structure will affect 0.010 acres of wetlands, 0.011 acres below Ordinary High Watermark and 51 linear feet of channel. Permanent impacts due to placement of Rock Rip Rap will affect 0.010 acres of wetlands and 0.006 acres below Ordinary High Watermark at the outlet of the proposed structure. Temporary impacts caused by construction of a diversion channel and placement of temporary channel plugs may affect an additional 0.062 acres of wetlands, 0.008 acres below Ordinary High Watermark and 46 linear feet of channel.

            A diversion channel, 212’ long x 13’ wide, will be utilized by the contractor to dewater the work area during construction of the box culvert. Details are enclosed. The temporary channel plugs will consist of approximately 100 cubic yards of upland material placed at both the upstream and downstream sides of the work area. Erosion control blankets will be used to armor the plugs and stabilize channel bends as necessary. The contractor will build a temporary crossing of the diversion channel. This temporary crossing will be approximately 13’ wide by 28’ long and will consist of 3 – 36” diameter culvert pipes. During construction the contractor will maintain normal downstream flows and minimize flooding to the maximum extent practical. Any temporary fills shall be placed in a manner that will not be eroded by expected high flows and will be removed in their entirety with affected areas returned to pre-construction elevations. Any disturbed areas will be re-vegetated as appropriate. Construction is expected to be complete

within 75 days of the start date. All temporary structures will be in place for 75 days or less.

The proposed certification and supporting materials are available for inspection at the office of NDWEE, 245 Fallbrook Blvd, STE 100, Lincoln, Nebraska. Persons may comment upon or object to the application, by submitting written comments within 30 days after this publication date of this notice. Comments should be limited to the scope of state Water Quality Certification (WQC) under Section 401 of the CWA. During this period, persons may request a public hearing. A request for a hearing must state the nature of the issues to be raised and all arguments and actual grounds supporting such position. Such comments shall be considered prior to making a final decision regarding the request. Any comments or requests should be submitted to:

CWA Section 401 Coordinator
Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment
245 Fallbrook Blvd, Suite 100
Lincoln, NE 68521

-or-

ndee.401certification@nebraska.gov

Please notify NDWEE in advance if alternate formats of documents are needed. Our switchboard phone number is 402-471-2186. TDD users please call 711 and ask the relay operator to call us at 402-471-2186.

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