FINAL Environmental Assessment 183 North Mobility Project From Loop 1 (MoPac) to State Highway 45/Ranch-to-Market Road 620 CSJs: 0151-05-100 & 3136-01-185 Travis and Williamson Counties, Texas April 2016 The Environmental review, consultation and other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried-out by TxDOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 16, 2014, and executed by the Federal Highway Administration and TxDOT. [This page left blank intentionally] Table of Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 PURPOSE AND NEED ......................................................................................................... 9 2.1 NEED FOR THE PROPOSED PROJECT ........................................................................................................... 9 2.2 PURPOSE OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT ..................................................................................................... 10 3.0 ALTERNATIVES.................................................................................................................. 11 3.1 PRELIMINARY ALTERNATIVES ..................................................................................................................... 11 3.2 REASONABLE ALTERNATIVES ..................................................................................................................... 11 3.3 ALTERNATIVES ADVANCED FOR DETAILED EVALUATION ........................................................................... 13 BUILD ALTERNATIVE .......................................................................................................................... 13 NO BUILD ALTERNATIVE .................................................................................................................... 15 4.0 PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING STATUS ...................................................................... 19 5.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES .......................... 21 5.1 RIGHT-OF-WAY/DISPLACEMENTS ............................................................................................................... 23 5.2 LAND USE AND CONSISTENCY WITH LOCAL PLANNING ............................................................................ 23 5.3 POPULATION GROWTH ................................................................................................................................ 24 5.4 SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS ......................................................................................................................... 25 COMMUNITY IMPACTS ....................................................................................................................... 25 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ................................................................................................................ 26 TOLLING ............................................................................................................................................. 27 LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY ...................................................................................................... 29 5.5 UTILITIES/EMERGENCY SERVICES ............................................................................................................. 29 5.6 VISUAL/AESTHETICS ................................................................................................................................... 30 5.7 CULTURAL RESOURCES .............................................................................................................................. 31 ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES ....................................................................................................... 31 HISTORIC RESOURCES ...................................................................................................................... 32 5.8 AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................................................. 34 WETLANDS AND WATERS OF THE U.S. ............................................................................................ 34 IMPAIRED WATERS ............................................................................................................................ 37 GROUNDWATER ................................................................................................................................. 38 FLOODPLAINS .................................................................................................................................... 39 5.9 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ............................................................................................................................. 40 5.10 AIR QUALITY ................................................................................................................................................. 45 5.11 TRAFFIC NOISE............................................................................................................................................. 46 5.12 BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT ....................................................................................................................... 53 VEGETATION .................................................................................................................................. 53 WILDLIFE ....................................................................................................................................... 55 5.13 PROTECTED SPECIES .................................................................................................................................. 55 FEDERALLY-LISTED THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES ............................................. 55 i STATE-LISTED THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES ....................................................... 57 SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION NEED .......................................................................... 58 6.0 INDIRECT AND CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ........................................................................... 59 6.1 INDIRECT IMPACTS ...................................................................................................................................... 59 FEDERALLY LISTED KARST INVERTEBRATE SPECIES ..................................................................... 60 WATER RESOURCES: GROUNDWATER AND SURFACE WATER ...................................................... 60 JOLLYVILLE PLATEAU SALAMANDER ............................................................................................... 63 6.2 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ................................................................................................................................ 63 IMPACTS TO THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT ....................................................................................... 64 (a) LAND USE .............................................................................................................................................................64 IMPACTS TO THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT .................................................................................... 68 (a) JOLLYVILLE PLATEAU SALAMANDER ..................................................................................................................68 (b) FEDERALLY LISTED KARST INVERTEBRATE SPECIES ........................................................................................68 (c) WATER RESOURCES: GROUNDWATER, SURFACE WATER AND WETLANDS .....................................................69 6.3 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................... 71 7.0 CONSTRUCTION-PHASE IMPACTS ................................................................................... 73 7.1 NOISE IMPACTS – CONSTRUCTION PHASE................................................................................................. 73 7.2 AIR QUALITY IMPACTS – CONSTRUCTION PHASE ....................................................................................... 73 7.3 WATER QUALITY IMPACTS – CONSTRUCTION PHASE ................................................................................ 73 7.4 BIOLOGICAL IMPACTS – CONSTRUCTION PHASE ....................................................................................... 74 8.0 COMMENTS AND COORDINATION ................................................................................... 75 8.1 PUBLIC HEARING SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................... 75 8.2 AGENCY COORDINATION ............................................................................................................................. 80 9.0 PERMITS AND APPROVALS NEEDED .............................................................................. 81 9.1 USACE SECTION 404 PERMIT ..................................................................................................................... 81 9.2 SECTION 401 WATER QUALITY CERTIFICATION .......................................................................................... 81 9.3 EDWARDS AQUIFER RULES ......................................................................................................................... 81 10.0 COMMITMENTS ...............................................................................................................