CURWENSVILLE – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in the midst of a public comment period for a Clearfield County project.
Sunnyside Ethanol LLC is planning to build a waste coal-fired ethanol plant in Curwensville near the Curwensville Area High School. As part of that construction process on the former site of Howe’s Leather Co., the company will need to fill in a drainage ditch on the property, according to Dr. Rick DeCesar, director of environmental engineering for Sunnyside.
Affected will be some on-site drainage ways, but DeCesar said no fill will be discharged into the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in clearing up some technical wording on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers notice.
The proposed project is expected impact less than three-quarters of an acre of wetlands, 1,400 linear feet of stream channels, a man-made pond and 87 linear feet of the West Branch of the Susquehanna river to construct six outfall structures. Temporary impacts are also expected to 60 linear feet of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River for the construction of two intake structures.
Sunnyside’s work will also include the construction of one acre of wetlands on the site as mitigation.
Until Dec. 18, the U.S. Army Corps is asking the public for comments on the proposed work and how it might impact the area. Comments are used in the Corps’ decision on whether a permit should or should not be issued.
Factors the Corps uses include (but are not limited to) impact on endangered species, historic properties, water quality, environmental effects, economics, wetlands, cultural values, flood hazards, recreation and safety.
The Corps has already determined that the proposed work will not affect threatened or endangered species. The site is not listed on the national register of historic places.
All comments on the issue should be directed to the district engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who will then decide whether a public hearing should be held. Correspondence should be addressed to District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, State College Field Office, 1631 S. Atherton St., Suite 102, State College, PA 16801.
GantDaily Editor’s Note: For the full script of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Public Notice, click here.
