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

T.F. Green Airport Improvement ProgramEnvironmental Impact Statement and Final Section 4(f) Evaluation• Mitigation for eligible airport historic district and Hangar No. 1 (refer to Section 6.7, Historic, Architectural,Archaeological, and Cultural Resources).6.8.1.1 Replace Winslow Park Recreation FacilitiesUnder Alternative B4, Winslow Park recreational facilities (four full-sized softball fields, a clubhouse, twoparking lots, a playground, and soccer fields) would be significantly impacted in order to remove incompatibleland uses from the RPZ at the Runway 5 End. The impacted recreation facilities (those within the RPZ) wouldbe replaced at another site as mitigation. The facilities that are not within the RPZ (two smaller softball fields,walking path, and one playground) could remain at the current Winslow Park. These park facilities couldcontinue to serve as a recreational resource for Warwick residents and the adjacent Greenwood neighborhood.Refer to Chapter 7, Final Section 4(f)/Section 6(f) Evaluation, for further details on the proposed mitigation forSection 4(f) resources.6.9 Wetlands and WaterwaysWetland impacts would be addressed in three sequential steps: avoidance through the examination of potentialproject alternatives; minimization through the incorporation of special design measures that reduce unavoidableimpacts; and mitigation to offset unavoidable impacts that cannot be reduced through sound design measures.Section 5.10.8.1, Avoidance, and 5.10.8.2, Minimization, discuss avoidance and minimization used to reduceimpacts to wetlands and waterways. The FAA evaluated the wetland impacts and determined that there is nopracticable alternative to construction in the wetland, and that all practicable measures to minimize harm havebeen included.Proposed mitigation for the Project-related significant impacts to wetlands and waterways includes on- andoff-site wetland restoration and enhancement, preservation of wetlands and associated upland buffers that areunder development pressure, and wetland creation. Based on the mitigation assessment, it is possible to provideappropriate mitigation for the Preferred Alternative, Alternative B4. Throughout this process, the FAA andRIAC have coordinated with the USACE, RIDEM, EPA, RI Rivers Council, and other interested parties.6.9.1 Mitigation for Significant Wetlands Impacts for Alternative B4The DEIS described 11 conceptual wetland mitigation sites to compensate for unavoidable losses of 7.3 acres ofwetland associated with safety enhancements to Runway 34. As described in Chapter 5, EnvironmentalConsequences, this area has been subsequently reduced to 5.0 acres. Proposed mitigation measures focus onprotecting or restoring wetlands to the maximum extent practicable. The impacted wetlands associated with thePreferred Alternative are presented in Table 6-10. 483 The safety enhancements to Runway 34, including therelocation of Taxiway C would result in the loss of 2.9 acres of wetland providing flood storage and waterquality functions at the principal level, 2.2 acres of wetland providing groundwater recharge and dischargefunction, and 2.9 acres of wetland providing a wetland wildlife function.483 The Preferred Alternative would impact 3.5 acres of emergent wetland (2.1 acres is dominated by the invasive common reed), 1.3 acres scrub-shrub, and0.2 acres forested wetland.Chapter 6 – Mitigation 6-25 July 2011\\Mawatr\ev\09228.00\reports\FEIS_Final_July_2011\PVD_CH06_Mitigation_JUL_2011.doc