Public Notice: Opportunity to comment on Clean Water Act (CWA) Certification for the Swiftcurrent Spur Road Rehabilitation Project in Glacier National Park, under U.S. Army Corps of Engineers CWA Section 404 Nationwide Permit (NWP) 14
Summary
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received a request from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Western Federal Lands Highway Division for a Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 401 water quality certifications (WQC) for the above project. Section 401(a)(1) of the CWA requires applicants for Federal permits and licenses that may result in any discharge into waters of the United States to obtain certification or waiver from the certifying authority where the discharge would originate.
The EPA acts as the certifying authority on lands of exclusive federal jurisdiction in relevant respects, in this case on lands within Glacier National Park.
Action
The EPA will act on these certification requests by either: (1) granting certification; (2) granting certification with conditions; (3) denying certification; or (4) expressly waiving certification consistent with CWA Section 401 and the EPA’s implementing regulations at 40 CFR 121.
The proposed project would be authorized under U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) NWP 14. NWP 14 authorizes discharges of dredged or fill material into non-tidal waters of the United States for the construction, expansion, modification, or improvement of linear transportation projects (e.g., roads, highways, railways, trails, driveways, airport runways, and taxiways) in waters of the United States.
Applicant’s Name: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Western Federal Lands Highway Division
Waterways: Unnamed tributary to the Swiftcurrent River in Glacier National Park
Location: 48.798506, -113.667400 in Glacier National Park
Project Description
The proposed project is to rehabilitate the Swiftcurrent Spur Road and drainage structures between the Many Glacier Hotel intersection and the Swiftcurrent developed area and improve parking and address pedestrian safety in the popular Switcurrent developed area on the east side of Glacier National Park. Drainage structures will be replaced with properly sized culverts. One damaged 24” diameter culvert at Station 44+16 that conveys an unnamed tributary to the Swiftcurrent River will be replaced and extended an additional 7 feet. Construction, including staging and stockpiling of material, will be conducted from Swiftcurrent Road, which will be closed for traffic during construction. Approximately 57 linear feet of the unnamed tributary will be impacted to align the channel with the new culver. Riprap will be installed at the culvert inlet and outlet, impacting less than 0.02 acres of the stream channel.
Public Comments
Notice and details of any extension of the comment period will be published on this page. Interested parties on our email list will also be notified by email. Submit comments as described in the box at right.
At this time there is no opportunity to review the submitted material and documents in person at an EPA office. These documents are only available electronically and can be provided upon request. If you cannot adequately address comments via email, please reach out to Estella Moore at R8CWA401@epa.gov or 303-312-6357 to discuss alternative arrangements.
Public Hearings: Any person may request, in writing, within the comment period specified in this notice, that a public hearing be held to consider this application. If the EPA determines that a public hearing is appropriate or necessary, the EPA will schedule a public hearing. You may request a public hearing using the information in the “How to Comment” box on the righthand side of this webpage.
Project Applicant
Stephen Morrow, Environmental Protection Specialist (Stephen.Morrow@dot.gov)
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Western Federal Lands Highway Division
(360) 619-7811