T.F. Green Airport Improvement Program - FEIS Chapters - PVD

T.F. Green Airport Improvement ProgramEnvironmental Impact Statement and Final Section 4(f) EvaluationAdditional water quality data was collected during the preparation of this FEIS (from 2004 to 2007) includingroutine sampling of Airport discharges and local water bodies, and sampling conducted specifically for the FEISto confirm the Baseline Condition data presented above. Sampling was conducted during and after winterstorm events and outside the deicing season. Analytical results indicated that although glycol levels weresomewhat elevated during the deicing season, no glycol was detected in Airport discharges or local surfacewaters outside the deicing season. Results from Outfalls 002A, 003A, 008A and 011A/012A indicated that fecalcoliform counts were all extremely low during both wet and dry weather; however, fecal coliform counts forBuckeye Brook and Warwick Pond were elevated in 2005 during both dry and wet weather, ranging between 42and 780 most-probable-number (MPN).4.11 Fish, Wildlife, and PlantsThis section summarizes the methodology for identifying the fish, wildlife, and plants within the Study Areaand describes these biotic communities within the Project Area.4.11.1 MethodologyInvestigations regarding the presence of state or federally listed threatened or endangered species wereconducted through coordination with the Rhode Island Natural Heritage Program (RINHP), RIDEM Division ofFish and Wildlife (DFW), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS); inspections of the Project and StudyAreas; review of previously collected or reported data; and literature reviews. Letters requesting writtencorrespondence from these agencies were submitted initially in September 2001, and were resubmitted on July25, 2005. Data collected by RIDEM DFW staff from surveys conducted during the summer of 2005 wereobtained through electronic correspondence.Descriptions of the Baseline Condition biotic communities were developed from published literature, previousstudies, and field surveys conducted within the Project Area and Study Area. 218 Vegetation cover types wereidentified and mapped on aerial photographs in the Project Area. RIDEM DFW data from electroshock surveysfor some of the water bodies in the Study Area were also used. Habitat suitability assessments are based on fieldobservation and published information. 219 Preliminary biodiversity data from studies of Buckeye Brook and its220, 221tributaries were obtained from the RIDEM Office of Water Resources.Study Area vegetation cover types were evaluated using RIGIS 222 data augmented by aerial photographinterpretation and limited field investigations. Biotic communities associated with each RIGIS land use andcover type were described for each of the land use categories. Potential wildlife use was also described for eachof the land use categories. Wildlife evaluations were conducted by reviewing information on potentialthreatened and endangered species habitat received through coordination with the USFWS, RIDEM DFW,RINHP, and other sources.218 Buckeye Brook Habitat Improvement/Restoration Program, Natural Resource Services, Inc. December 3, 2004.219 New England Wildlife: Habitat, Natural History, and Distribution. Degraff, Richard M. and Rudis, Deborah. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-108. Broomall, PA: USDA,Forest Service, Northeast Forest Experiment Station; 1986.220 ESS Group 2009; Buckeye Brook Biodiversity Impairment Data Report, 2008. 27 pp + tables, photos, and figures.221 EPA October 15, 2008. Toxicity Test Results; Buckeye Brook Study Summer 2008.222 Rhode Island Geographic Information System, www.edc.uri.edu/rigis.Chapter 4 – Affected Environment 4-60 July 2011\\mawatr\ev\09228.00\reports\FEIS_Final_July_2011\PVD_CH04_Affected_Env_JUL_2011.doc