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The United States Army Corps of Engineers (Vicksburg District) (“Corps”) issued an August 14th Public Notice (“Notice”) regarding an application by the Union Pacific Railroad (“UPR”) for a Clean Water Act 404 Permit for work that would take place in Lafayette County, Arkansas. See MVK-2019-363.

The Notice states the work would consist of the replacement of a UPR bridge.

The bridge replacement would result in the discharge of dredged and/or fill material into waters of the United States necessitating the acquisition of the Section 404 Clean Water Act Permit.

The purpose of the bridge replacement is stated to be the maintenance of safe, efficient, and reliable railroad operations through the relevant area.

The replacement of the bridge is stated to require the use of a maintenance road which would result in the widening and placement of rock to allow for equipment to access the bridge. Four temporary causeways would be utilized to cross two waterways. Further, two temporary causeways would be required for each waterway and be built using rock riprap and Corrugated Metal Pipe culverts. The temporary causeways are projected to result in temporary impacts to the waterways. Approximately 15 cubic yards of fill would be permanently placed below one of the streams to armor the proposed abutment.

The Notice states anticipated impacts constituting:

• 0.16 acres of permanent impacts to Wetland A;
• 0.03 acres of permanent impacts to Wetland B;
• 0.02 acres of permanent impacts to Wetland C;
• 0.43 acres of permanent impacts to Wetland D, and
• 0.7 acres of permanent impacts of Wetland E.

One hundred linear feet of temporary impacts to Stream 1 and 180 linear feet of temporary impacts to Stream 2 would occur. UPR is stated to be proposing to mitigate for the unavoidable loss of jurisdictional impacts through a mitigation bank.

A copy of the Notice can be downloaded here.