A retailer selected a 20-acre site in Fort Smith, AR., for construction of a large store. FTN conducted a delineation of potential Section 404 issues and submitted the delineation to the Corps of Engineers Little Rock District with a Section 404 Individual Permit application. Also, the project area supported an important cultural resources site (i.e., supporting both historic and prehistoric resources), which required Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III cultural resources investigations and coordination with Native tribes.
The project required compensatory mitigation for impacts to waters of the US, including wetlands. FTN coordinated with a landowner and conducted a delineation of potential mitigation sites on his property. Ultimately, FTN selected a 10-acre site on the property for mitigation and prepared a detailed mitigation plan including riparian zone restoration, wetland restoration, wetland enhancement, and upland buffer components that was approved by the Corps.
The mitigation site was planted and FTN monitored it for five years. During this period, FTN submitted annual monitoring reports to the Corps.
