2010-00343

A new application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), San Francisco District, for a Department of the Army Letter of Permission (LOP) procedure to annually extract up to 350,000 tons of gravel from waters of the U.S., the Russian River in lower Alexander Valley. The extraction amount remains the same as the previous submission in 2010, 350,000 tons of gravel extracted annually. It is the extraction area that has been reduced from 15 bars to 3 bars. Figure 1 - 1 shows the project location. Figure 1-2 identifies the 3 bars the applicant proposes to mine during the ten year duration of the permit. Alcoves, oxbows and plantings are incorporated into some of the extraction areas to minimize impacts and/or improve aquatic resource function. The summary table provides total acreages and amounts of gravel proposed for extraction, not to exceed 350,000 tons in any season. The dynamic functioning of the River dictates that over the life of the LOP procedure, final design plans, cross sections, fill amounts and mitigation be approved annually. This Department of the Army LOP program application is being processed pursuant to the provisions of (Section 404 of the Clean Water Act of 1972, as amended (33 U.S.C. § 1344 et seq.).