Res 2008-088 - Laserfiche WebLink

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1.4 TASK 4 -ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES The Engineer will: 1.4.1 Develop the environmental documentation to support a Categorical Exclusion ("CE") following all local, State, and Federal Guidelines. 1.4.2 Prepare the CE in accordance with State and Federal laws, rules and regulations including the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA") and the requirements of TxDOT and the Federal Highway Administration, and in accordance with applicable Memoranda of Understandings ("MOU's") and Memoranda of Agreements (MOA's) between resource agencies. 1.4.3 Review the general scope of the Project and identify known environmental constraints, including issues related to adjacent land uses. In addition the Engineer will attend one open house meeting or meeting with affected property owners and prepare a CE to include: a) A description of the existing facility, including existing roadway features, traffic and general project setting; b) A description of the proposed facility, including the need for the proposed improvements; and c) Existing conditions and potential impacts to include: 1) Land use including Section 4(f) issues, prime farmlands and ROW needs; 2) Socioeconomic impacts including limited information on demographic data, growth trends, displacements and environmental justice; 3) Water quality including Floodplains, Waters of the U.S., Section 404 permits, and Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) requirements. The Engineer will discuss the proposed work at any water crossings, including potential work in the stream, habitat impacts, and erosion and sedimentation. In addition the Engineer will discuss temporary and permanent water quality control measures as well as the need for Section 401 Water Quality Certification requirements. The Engineer will perform a site visit to identify waters of the U.S. (including wetlands) in the ROW and immediately upstream and downstream of the Project. The Engineer will review and summarize Section 404 permit implications. A permit determination will be included in the CE; 4) Air quality impacts; 5) Noise impacts effects to noise levels; 6) Vegetation impacts and characteristics assessed per the TxDOT/TPWD MOA. 7) Wildlife and Threatened/Endangered Species Impacts. The Engineer will review existing databases and a site visit will be performed to assess potential candidate, threatened or endangered species habitat on and adjacent to the ROW. The Engineer will contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Website in order to obtain a current list of candidate, threatened, or endangered species within Hays County. In addition, the Engineer will incorporate background on the habitat requirements and range of the species into the environmental document and KBR-Sessom Drive Roadway Improvements Agreement 9