Public Notice – Mountain Valley Pipeline – Additional 401 Water Quality Conditions

PURPOSE OF NOTICE: To seek public comment and announce public hearings on a draft Section 401 Certification for the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline project that would establish additional conditions for activities in upland areas that are located near state waters and that may indirectly affect state water along the route of the proposed pipeline.

The conditions address, among other things, engineering and best management practices for steep slopes and slide prone areas; environmental monitoring and inspections; and development and implementation of plans and procedures for karst mitigation, spill prevention control, water quality monitoring, protection of riparian buffers, protection of water quality from acid forming materials, protection of public water supplies, hydrostatic testing, and dust control activities.

PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: July 3, 2017 to August 22, 2017.

PUBLIC HEARINGS: 1) Radford University, Preston/Bondurant Auditorium, 801 East Main Street, Radford, VA 24142 on August 8, 2017 from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Park only in Lot A (adjacent to Auditorium), or Lots E and U (University Drive bridge access to Auditorium). 2) Chatham High School Auditorium, 100 Cavalier Circle, Chatham, Virginia 24531 on August 9, 2017 from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Park only in designated areas on school property.

PURPOSE OF HEARINGS: To obtain input from the public related to the draft Section 401 Certification conditions for activities in upland areas that are located near state waters and that may indirectly affect state waters along the route of the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline project.

PROJECT PROPONENT’S NAME: Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: For project information and location, please see: http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/ProtectionRequirementsforPipelines.aspx.

Proposed interstate natural gas transmission pipeline, Mountain Valley Pipeline, approximately 106 miles through the Virginia Counties of Pittsylvania, Franklin, Roanoke, Montgomery, Craig, and Giles, including activities such as but not limited to installation of best management practices; survey and staking; clearing, mowing, grubbing, and grading; trenching and/or blasting; pipe assembly (including stringing, bending, welding, testing, coating, and lowering-in); backfilling; construction of new access roads; final grading; right-of-way cleanup and restoration; and compliance monitoring. DEQ’s preliminary decision is to recommend issuance of a Section 401 Certification with conditions. After close of the public comment period, DEQ will review comments received and present recommendations to the State Water Control Board for its consideration at a future meeting.

HOW TO COMMENT: The Board accepts written comments by hand-delivery, e-mail, or postal mail. All comments must be in writing and be received by DEQ during the comment period. The Board also accepts written and oral comments at public hearings. Instructions for making oral comments will be provided at the public hearings. An allotment of three minutes is typical for each oral comment, but the time allowed is set by the hearing officers at the hearings.

To make a written comment, the person commenting must include: 1) The names, mailing addresses and telephone numbers of the person commenting and of all people represented by that person. 2) A brief, informal statement on how the proposal affects the person or people.

SUBMIT COMMENTS VIA: hand-delivery to DEQ, 629 East Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219; postal mail to DEQ, P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA 23218; e-mail to: comment-mvp@deq.virginia.gov.

CONTACT ONLY FOR DOCUMENT REQUESTS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Brenda Winn, Office of Wetlands & Stream Protection, brenda.winn@deq.virginia.gov, (804) 698-4516, P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA 23218.