News Release
| Release Number: | 98-104 |
| Dated: | 12/22/1998 |
| Contact: | Heidi Y. Helwig, 503-808-4510 |
Portland, Ore. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Environmental Quality will co-sponsor a public hearing in January to allow interested people to comment on a proposed construction project for the Eugene, Ore., area.
At 7 p.m. on Jan. 20, 1998, the Corps and the DEQ will hold a public hearing at the Lane County Public Service Building, Harris Hall, at 125 East 8th Ave., in Eugene. Sign-in begins at 6:30 p.m. The hearing is being held to give community members an opportunity to express their views on a proposal to construct a 130-unit apartment complex on a 7.12-acre-site in Eugene near Amazon Creek. The site is within the boundary of the West Eugene Wetlands Plan. To receive approval to do the work, Bingham Construction, Inc., has applied for permits with the Corps and DEQ that apply to sections 401 and 404 of the Clean Water Act.
All comments received-both written and oral-will be considered in the agencies' decisions to grant permits and in the Corps' preparation of an environmental evaluation for the proposed project as required by the National Environmental Policy Act.
Written statements also may be handed to officials at the public hearing or mailed in advance to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Attn: Regulatory Branch, P.O. Box 2946, Portland, Oregon 97208. Written comments must be received by Feb. 4, 1999, to be included in the official record.
The project, if approved, would permit the fill of 2.59 acres of wetland out of a total of 3.59 acres at the site. Potential impacts to water could include erosion and sedimentation resulting from construction runoff into both on-site and off-site wetlands and the Amazon Channel, and loss of wetlands and wetland functions. The applicant's proposed on-site mitigation consists of enhancing and restoring about one acre of wetland. Off-site mitigation would be completed through the West Eugene Mitigation Bank for the remainder of the wetland impacts.
Corps and DEQ documents and other materials related to the permit applications are available for review and copying at DEQ's Eugene office at 1102 Lincoln St., Suite 210. Corps documents also may be viewed at the Eugene Public Library and DEQ documents also are available at DEQ's Portland Office, at 811 S.W. 6th Ave.
For more information about the proposed project or the hearing, please call the Corps' Chris Thoms at (503) 808-4385.