WATERWAY AND LOCATION: The project would affect potential waters of the United States (WOTUS), wetlands, associated with the Illinois River. The approximate center of the site is located 950-feet west of where the Shippingsport Bridge (Illinois Route 351) crosses the north shore of the Illinois River. The site occupies portions of Sections 15/21/22, Township 33 North, Range 1 East; at Latitude 41.314865 and Longitude 89.095996; near the city of LaSalle, LaSalle County, Illinois.
EXISTING CONDITIONS: The site consists of eight parcels of undeveloped land (approximately 287.95-acres) along the north shore of the Illinois River. The site is divided into thirds by Illinois Route 351 and an access road owned by the City of LaSalle. Adjacent to the North of the western-most third is the I&M Canal. East of this area is undeveloped land. A pond is adjacent to the west. The middle third of the site is bordered on the west by Illinois Route 351 and beyond to the northwest is undeveloped land followed by Huse Lake. The eastern-most third of the site also has undeveloped land and Huse Lake to the north. Adjacent to the east, south, and west of the site is the Illinois River as a meander bend follows around to the south.
PROJECT PURPOSE/BANK OBJECTIVES: The fundamental objective of compensatory mitigation is to offset environmental losses resulting from unavoidable impacts to WOTUS authorized by Department of the Army Permits. Other objectives include: providing economically efficient and flexible mitigation opportunities, restoration and enhancement of terrestrial and aquatic wildlife habitat, and to provide additional flood retention capabilities thereby mitigating impacts of flooding through capture and storage of high-flow events.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION/BANK ESTABLISHMENT: The bank Sponsor proposes to develop the project on 287.95-acres of property along the Illinois River, which would result in the establishment of wetland mitigation credits. The mitigation plan for the project will include restoring adequate hydrology to the site and management of vegetation. Hydrology restoration will include the excavation of three shallow basins with target depth influenced by nearby water resources and groundwater data collection. The hydrology restoration design goal is to function independently of overbank flooding of the Illinois River, but still utilize high-water events from the river as a supplemental source of hydrology. The project’s vegetation restoration activities will include seeding of the site with an ecologically appropriate wetland seed mix, controlling invasive vegetation by various means, timber stand improvements throughout suspected existing forested wetland areas, understory vegetation enhancement, and establishment of emergent or forested buffer areas. As designed, the Illinois River Mitigation Bank will generate 104.45 emergent wetland credits and 68.52 forested wetland credits.
SERVICE AREA: The proposed bank service area will be the Central Service Area in Illinois.
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