Issue Date: December 13, 2022
Expiration Date: December 28, 2022
Corps Reference: PM-F-Section 408 0119-FY22 Amazon Creek Restoration Project, Eugene, Lane County, Oregon
15-Day Notice
This Public Notice announces the Section 408 review of the Amazon Creek Restoration Project.
Portland District is reviewing the City of Eugene Public Works Department proposal to repair, rehabilitate, and restore a portion of the existing Amazon creek channel alignment. The rehabilitation and removal of the concrete lining will include restoration of native substrate, meandering flow, and enhanced riparian habitat historic to the Willamette River Valley. Since the project location is heavily utilized as a public park with connecting running and pedestrian paths, a replacement pedestrian bridge and improved running path and sidewalk is also included in the proposed site plan to improve connectivity in the park.
Alteration of a federally authorized project: This project proposes to remove a concrete-lined portion of Amazon Creek. The project would occur within the Amazon Creek Flood Damage Reduction (FDR) Project. The Amazon Creek FDR was designed to provide flood control for the urbanization of the city of Eugene. The concrete lining is an original design feature of the Amazon Creek FDR Project. After removal of the concrete lining, the area will be restored to a more natural stream meander with spawning gravels, riffles, boulders, and native planting on a graded-back bank. As part of the naturalizing substrate, riffles will aid with flow moderation, as will meanders; however, meandering is limited to the narrow project area. No large wood is proposed due to the potential for loosening and damming water flows which could pose flood risk and erosional issues downstream. Riffle pools are included in the design to help with the City’s Total Maximum Daily Load temperature control needs. Storm diversion channels that are proposed on the right and left banks are located strategically below existing outfalls and intended to improve existing stormwater quality. At the downstream end, the banks will be graded back to maintain floodplain size and compensate for floodplain impact from the project. There will be a riffle pool and boulder structure there to provide low-flow and reduce erosion potential at the entrance to the remaining concrete downstream channel connection. Coir and mulch will stabilize the graded back banks where native riparian plantings will occur. This endeavor will reduce current impacts affecting the functions and values of this reach of Amazon creek, which presently has little flow variation, sediment continuity, shading/temperature control, plant diversity, or habitat connectivity.
An existing pedestrian bridge will be replaced with a more stable larger bridge, which will span the ordinary high water of the creek. Th bridge design will be a Contech-style pre-manufactured truss bridge at eight-times the active channel width of the creek.
Consideration of Comments: The Corps is soliciting comments specific to this project from the public, federal, state, and local agencies and officials, and other interested parties. Comments will be considered in determining whether it would be in the public interest to proceed with this action.
All comments received will become part of the official record and are subject to public release under the Freedom of Information Act including any personally identifiable information such as names, phone numbers, and addresses.
Comments: Interested parties may submit, in writing, any comments directed specifically to this proposal and not to other regulatory processes administered by the Corps or other government agencies pertaining to the Amazon Creek Restoration Project.
Comments should refer to PM-F- Amazon Creek Restoration Project - 2022 and the date of this Public Notice (December 13, 2022) and be electronically submitted by the comment due date (December 28, 2022).
Comments must be sent electronically to section408nwp@usace.army.mil . Message subject MUST SAY: Public Notice PM-F- Amazon Creek Restoration Project - 2022.
Alternatively, comments can be sent and be postmarked by the comment due date (December 28, 2022):
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District
ATTN: Ms. Sally Bird-Gauvin
P.O. Box 2946
Portland, Oregon 97208-2946.
For additional information, please send email to: section408nwp@usace.army.mil, attention to: Sally Bird-Gauvin. This public notice is issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District.
