1. Project Proponent. St. Paul District, Corps of Engineers, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite E1500, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101.
2. Project Authority. Blackhawk Park is a US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) recreation site that is operated and maintained as a part of the UMR inland navigation mission. Original authorization to improve navigation of the Mississippi River was provided by the River and Harbor Acts of 1880, 1882, and 1930. The Flood Control Act of 1944 provides authority to construct, maintain and operate public park and recreational facilities at water resource development projects. Blackhawk Park is currently managed as a recreational site for the UMR project.
3. Project Location. The proposed project is upstream of Lock 9 of the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) on the Wisconsin side near river mile (RM) 671, adjacent to Vernon County, WI.
4. Summary of the Proposed Project. The purpose of the Project is to stabilize the bank and shoreline at five sites with seven work areas around Blackhawk Park after the flooding events in Spring 2023. Site 1 will encompass an aeration channel with a 42in culvert to allow for flow from the Mississippi River to the channel. The site is divided into two sites labeled as Site 1 North and Site 1 South. Site 2 is the work within the Battle Slough aeration channel. Riprap work will be complete at the northern portion of the channel, along the east bank to the southern portion by the storm drain. The two work areas will be labeled as Site 2 North and Site 2 South to differentiate between the work done at the site. Site 3 covers the storm drain outlet riprap work. Site 4 covers the eroding bank work. Site 5 includes Peck Lake inlet riprap work. The stabilizing material used will consist of approximately 2,245 tons of R140 riprap, 2,865 tons of R30 riprap, 1,148 tons of B1 bedding, and 600 tons B2 bedding. The five sites where shoreline stabilization would occur will require gravel removal, temporary stockpile of material, minimal clearing and grubbing of 0.05 acres, minimal removal of trees, and placement of stabilization material.
5. Construction Schedule. Construction would occur in the summer of 2025.
6. Permits and Coordination.
a. General. The Proposed Project has been coordinated with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as other state agencies and tribal nations. All have provided concurrence and input for consideration during the planning process.
b. State. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is the administering agency for Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Wisconsin has issued water quality certifications for Nationwide Permit (NWP) 13. No additional permits would be required.
c. Federal. A Draft Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact was prepared and coordinated in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. Coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service occurred during the planning and design process. NWP 13 – Bank Stabilization, which includes “…activities necessary for erosion control or prevention, such as vegetative stabilization, bioengineering, sills, rip rap, revetment, gabion baskets, stream barbs, and bulkheads, or combinations of bank stabilization techniques...” will be used to comply with the Clean Water Act of 1977.
7. Summary of Environmental Impacts. The Proposed Project would have temporary minor adverse impacts to noise, air, water quality, fish and wildlife. There will be a temporary minor adverse impact to recreation within the park but a long-term benefit. Affected resources would be expected to recover quickly from any adverse effects shortly after conclusion of the project. The project may affect but is not likely to adversely affect the Tricolored Bat, a proposed endangered bat species, and no effect on any other species within the project area. The Project would have No Adverse Effect to Historic Properties. USACE coordinated this determination that the proposed project would have No Adverse Effect on Historic Properties on 13 December 2024 and received concurrence from the Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office on 17 January 2025. Overall, the project would have a long-term beneficial effect to the operation and maintenance of Blackhawk Park.
8. Report. A Draft Environmental Assessment that describes the project and the environmental impacts in detail is available to the public and can be viewed at https://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Home/Public-Notices/. The assessment includes an evaluation of impacts, project drawings, a Draft Finding of No Significant Impact, and letters of coordination from regulatory agencies.
9. Review and Comment. If you have any comments on the environmental assessment, they should be provided before the expiration date of this notice. Persons submitting comments are advised that all comments received will be available for public review, to include the possibility of posting on a public website. Questions on the project or comments on the Environmental Assessment can be directed to Chloe Foster at MVP_Planning@usace.army.mil. Please address all formal written correspondence on this project to District Engineer, St. Paul District, Corps of Engineers, ATTN: Regional Planning and Environment Division North, 332 Minnesota Street, Suite E1500, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101.