Enviro-Net

News Update

Corps proposes to issue regional general permit for West Bay watershed

Staff report
Enviro-Net

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposes to issue Regional General Permit SAJ-105, as described in a Public Notice, issued Aug. 23, 2011. The notice can be viewed at: http://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Divisions/Regulatory/pnwebshare/Special_Issue_Public_Notices/20110823-saj-2010-01997.pdf.



SAJ-105 would authorize the discharge of fill or dredged material into non-tidal waters of the U.S., including wetlands, for the construction of residential, commercial, recreational and institutional projects within a 44,000-acre portion of the West Bay Sector Plan area centered on the relocated international airport in Bay County.



SAJ-105 was developed to help protect the aquatic environment on a watershed scale by authorizing a forward-looking, flexible and predictable permitting program, which would minimize unavoidable direct impacts to highest quality aquatic resources, minimize impacts to lower quality aquatic resources, and mitigate for direct, indirect and cumulative impacts within the West Bay watershed.



Concurrent with the development of the SAJ-105, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is developing an Ecosystem Management Agreement that addresses DEP regulatory approvals for development and mitigation requirements within the 42,893 acres of land owned by the St. Joe Company within the area subject to SAJ-105.



A public meeting jointly sponsored by the corps and the DEP will be held on Sept.14, 2011, from 6-8 p.m. at the Panama City Beach City Commission Meeting Room in City Hall at 104 S. Arnold Road, Panama City Beach, FL. The purpose of the meeting is to present the proposed SAJ-105 and EMA to the interested public by presenting details of the strategic plan that would be implemented by the RGP and EMA and to answer questions and hear comments from the public.




Other recent news stories



Copyright (c) 1995-2024 by DRADDS LLC. All Rights Reserved.