PUBLIC NOTICE OF APPLICATION
FOR COASTAL WETLANDS PERMIT
AND WATER QUALITY CERTIFICATION
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) has filed an application requesting permission to conduct regulated activities under the provision of the Coastal Wetlands Protection Law Act, Title 49, Chapter 27, Mississippi Code of 1972.
The MDEQ is proposing to construct three types of reefs for the West Hancock County Habitat Project that will restore nearshore habitats for secondary producers, invertebrates, fishes, and oysters. The proposed project location is in Coastal Wetlands in West Hancock County in an area extending from approximately one mile northeast of the Silver Slipper Casino Hotel’s eastern boundary to approximately one mile northeast of Buccaneer State Park’s eastern boundary. The proposed project will include the following:1) Subtidal Manufactured Material Reef – Up to 2.0 acres consisting of a central 18-inch x 20-inch layout and surrounded by four 12-inch x 18-inch layouts. The total height would be up to 24 inches and would provide a minimum clearance of 2 feet at Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW). This reef type will have a cultch density of approximately 3,500 cubic yards/acre. 2)Nearshore Subtidal Reef – Up to 1.5 acres with a variable, undulating profile, ranging from 0 inches to 12 inches in height and constructed of 1-inch x 4-inch limestone. This reef type will have a cultch density of approximately 1,613 cubic yards/acre. 3) Subtidal Oyster Reef – Up to 100 acres with a variable, undulating profile, ranging from 0 inches to 18 inches in height and constructed of 1-inch x 4-inch limestone. The total height of each section of reef would be up to 18 inches and would provide a minimum clearance of 2 feet at Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW). This reef type will have a cultch density of approximately 2,426 cubic yards/acre.
The MDEQ is requesting a variance from Mississippi Admin. Code Title 22, Part 23, Chapter 8, Section 114.01 which states, “Permanent filling of coastal wetlands below the mean high tide line because of potential adverse and cumulative environmental impacts is not authorized.”
The full application, diagrams, environmental assessment, and other supplemental information can be viewed by following the links below. A copy can also be mailed on request by contacting 228-523-4106 or brett.james@dmr.ms.gov.
In compliance with Section 401 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251, 1341), as amended by PL 95-217, the applicant will request certification from the Office of Pollution Control that the above mentioned activity will be in compliance with applicable provisions of Section 301 (33 U.S.C. 1311), Section 302 (33 U.S.C. 1312), Section 303 (U.S.C. 1313), Section 306 (U.S.C. 1316), and Section 307 (U.S.C. 1317) of the Act and appropriate requirements of the State Law.
A public hearing will be held on November 3, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. at the Lakeshore Community Center located at 6211 Lower Bay Road, Bay St Louis, 39520. The public hearing will not be a question-and-answer session but will be a medium for concerned parties to make comments about the proposed project for the public record.
Any person wishing to make comments or objections to the proposed regulated activity must submit those comments in writing to the Department of Marine Resources using the form below, by email to brett.james@dmr.ms.gov, or by mail at 1141 Bayview Avenue, Biloxi, Mississippi 39530 before 1:00 p.m. on the day November 3, 2022.
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Comment Submission Form
You should receive an acknowledgement of your comment from Brett James by email. If you do not receive this acknowledgement, please contact brett.james@dmr.ms.gov.
