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

T.F. Green Airport Improvement ProgramEnvironmental Impact Statement and Final Section 4(f) Evaluationsafety enhancements, Alternative B4 would impact Tributary A11, a poor quality intermittent stream whichoriginates at an outfall to the Airport drainage system (Outfall 08). Much of this stream channel was created whenRunway 16-34 was lengthened to 6,081 feet in 1967. The proposed runway enhancements would place a total of340 linear feet of this stream into one of two culverts, a 90 linear feet long culvert under the relocatedPerimeter Road and 250 linear feet long culvert near the southern end of relocated Taxiway C. An additional262 linear feet of culvert would be relocated. Approximately 241 linear feet of Tributary A would be filled withinWetland A13 to construct the enhanced Runway 34 RSA (Table 5-123). The stream channel is poorly defined as itflows through this wetland which includes ponded areas. The biodiversity impairment of these streams wasrecently assessed as “Severely Impaired” by a RIDEM-commissioned study 421 . Impacts to macroinvertebratepopulations in these low-quality environments are unlikely to affect aquatic biodiversity downstream.Alternative B4 would impact approximately 8.6 acres of terrestrial habitats along Runway 34 (Table 5-124,Figures 5-44 and 5-45) mostly as the result of constructing the Runway 34 RSA. This area would be located inscrub-shrub portions of Wetland A8 that are managed under the current VMP, or in degraded parts ofWetland A13 that are dominated by the invasive Phragmites (common reed). Approximately 2.8 acres of WetlandA13 would be filled to construct the Runway 34 RSA with 1.8 acres of this area dominated by common reed.Wetland A13 generally provides poor quality habitat for wildlife and is monitored as part of the WHMP toexclude waterfowl, wading birds and raptors due to the risk of collision with aircraft. Portions of Runway 34 andits new Perimeter Road would be constructed within Wetlands A6, A8, A10, A11, and A13, and would result in aloss of 5.0 acres of wetland habitat. Impacts to Wetlands A6, A8, and A11 are similar under Alternatives B2 and B4and occur in habitats managed as part of the VMP and where wildlife are controlled as part of the WHMP.Impacts to upland habitats associated with safety enhancements to Runway 16-34 include impacts to 1.3 acres ofshrubland and 1.0 acres of upland forest on the Runway 34 End.Runway 5-23Alternative B4 would avoid direct impacts to streams supporting migratory fish runs by maintaining thecurrent configuration of the Runway 23 End. Efficiency enhancements associated with extending Runway 5-23would not affect aquatic habitat or terrestrial habitats as the extension to the south would impact recreationalfields with little wildlife habitat value and there are no aquatic resources.Fully Relocated Airport RoadAlternative B4 would not require the construction of Fully Relocated Airport Road, thereby avoiding its associatedimpacts under Alternative B2.Partially Relocated Airport RoadThe area which would be altered to construct Partially Relocated Airport Road is already developed and doesnot include aquatic or terrestrial habitats.421 Buckeye Brook Biodiversity Impairment Data Report, 2008, ESS Group, 2009.Chapter 5 - Environmental Consequences 5-232 July 2011\\mawatr\ev\09228.00\reports\FEIS_Final_July_2011\PVD_CH05_Environmental_Cons_JUL_2011.doc