The applicant seeks approval from the Mitigation Bank
Review Team (MBRT) which is composed of representatives from the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to
establish a wetland mitigation bank within the American Bottoms. The primary objective of the proposed
mitigation bank is to restore, create, enhance and permanently protect 62.20
acres of three wetland types (51.82 acres Emergent, 3.56 acres Scrub Shrub and
6.82 acres Forested) as well as create and protect 5.00 acres of bottomland
forest and 5.82 acres of tallgrass prairie buffer within a 72.74 acre site that
is currently in agricultural production.
If approved, the restoration, creation and enhancement activities will
be performed generating credits from the environmental improvements and will be
available for sale on an incremental basis as long as the mitigation bank meets
its anticipated goals set forth in the banking document. Credits from the project will not be
available for sale until documentation is provided by the bank sponsor that
environmental restoration will proceed and written approval is granted by the
Corps in consultation with the MBRT. The mitigation bank sponsor is developing
the mitigation bank with the intent to sell the mitigation credits to
recipients of Section 404 Permits who are required to compensate for
unavoidable and adverse environmental impacts to waters of the United States. Specifically, the waters of the United States
that will be compensated at the proposed bank include wetlands with emergent,
scrub shrub and forested classifications. Upon request, a copy of the
Mitigation Banking Prospectus is available for review in our office.
The proposed wetland mitigation bank is located in the
northeast portion of Granite City and is directly west of the new Morrison
Road, connecting Lakeview Road to the intersection of Lake Drive and
Breckenridge Lane. More specifically,
the proposed mitigation bank is located within the Northwest ¼ of Section 3,
Township 3 North, Range 09 West of the 3rd Principle Meridian, Madison County,
Illinois. The
Public Notice comment period opens on February 25, 2016, and closes on March
16, 2016.