NAME OF APPLICANT: Vinton Harbor and Terminal District, c/o Matrix New World Engineering, 2798 O’Neal Lane, Building F, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70816.
LOCATION OF WORK: Vinton Navigation Channel, on Johnny Breaux Road, located in the community of Vinton, in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, as shown on the enclosed drawings.
Location: Latitude: 30.143243° N / Longitude: -93.567857° W, Hydrologic Unit Code: 08080206 – Calcasieu Basin.
CHARACTER OF WORK: The proposed project would consist of conducting excavation operations to construct a 1,640-foot wide by 1,880-foot long turning basin with a 765-foot wide inlet connection to the Vinton Navigation Channel, excavated to a depth of -13 feet NGVD. A total of approximately 2,605,261 cubic yards of earthen fill material would be excavated from the turning basin. Surrounding the turning basin, approximately 352,492 cubic yards of excavated earthen fill material from the total amount would be placed to a minimum width of 280 feet for the creation of developable commercial properties who need direct access to water transportation. To facilitate entrance into the turning basin and the barge loading and storage areas, approximately 1,764 feet of the Vinton Navigation Channel would be dredged to a maximum depth of -10.5 feet NGVD. Excavation from the Vinton Navigation Channel would be deposited directly onto barges and would not be temporarily stored in the spoil pile. Impacts associated with the turning basin include excavation of 64.09 acres of palustrine emergent wetlands, 3.10 acres of palustrine forested wetlands, 2.02 acres of other waters of the U.S., and 5.57 acres of Section 10 waters; and filling of 52.41 acres of palustrine emergent
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wetlands, 3.10 acres of palustrine shrub scrub wetlands, 1.26 acres of palustrine forested wetlands, and 0.75 of an acre of other waters of the U.S.
On the east bank of the Vinton Navigation Channel and north of the turning basin, a 630-foot long steel sheet pile bulkhead would be driven along the bank to stabilize the barge loading area. Behind the bulkhead, excavated earthen fill material would be placed to 10 feet NGVD, and temporary timber mats would be placed to support excavators used to load barges with spoil from the turning basin excavation. Earthen fill material excavated from the turning basin would be hauled to the temporary spoil pile and loaded onto barges. Over the life of the project, approximately 2,252,769 cubic yards of the remaining excavated earthen fill material would be transferred to and from the temporary spoil pile. Impacts associated with the barge loading area include fill of 0.01 acre of other waters of the U.S. and 1.32 acres of uplands.
Along the west bank of the Vinton Navigation Channel, approximately 865 feet of the existing levee will be cut to create the barge storage area. The levee will be cut to the same depth as the Vinton Navigation Channel, approximately -10.5 feet NGVD. Impacts associated with the barge storage area include excavation of 0.30 of an acre of emergent Section 10/404 wetlands.
Total project implementation would directly impact 124.26 acres of jurisdictional wetlands, 2.78 acres of other waters of the U.S., and 5.57 acres of Section 10 waters. The applicant proposes to compensate for wetland impacts by purchasing credits at a Department of the Army (DA) approved mitigation bank, should a DA permit authorization be granted.