Chief of Engineers Environmental Advisory Board; Meeting, 2856 [05-902]
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 11 / Tuesday, January 18, 2005 / Notices
to the HWRP site. The goal of the HWRP
as a whole is to create a diverse array
of wetland and wildlife habitats at the
combined Hamilton sites (HWRP &
BMK–V) that benefit endangered species
while facilitating the beneficial re-use of
dredged material.
1. Background. The HWRP is one of
several significantly sized projects to
restore lost wetlands around San
Francisco Bay. The ground elevation of
the HWRP site has subsided since the
site was diked off from the Bay, and fill
material will be sued as part of the
restoration process to construct project
features and to speed formation of tidal
marsh. The Long Term Management
Strategy (LTMS) for the placement of
dredged material in the San Francisco
Bay and Estuary was established
cooperatively by federal, state and local
agencies starting in 1990 to maintain
navigation channels in an economic and
environmentally sound manner, to
maximize the use of dredged materials
as a beneficial resource, and to establish
a cooperative regulatory permitting
framework. The HWRP implements the
LTMS through beneficial re-use and a
reduction of in-Bay disposal. The
alternative transfer facilities proposed
are an attempt to more efficiently meet
the goals of the LTMS.
2. Proposed Action. The original plan
for transfer of dredged material to the
project, as described in the original EIS/
EIR, uses an in-bay hydraulic off-loader.
Based on independent review,
workshops with national experts, and a
value engineering study that considered
environmental, economic and
operational impacts, it is determined
that a more efficient and flexible
method to transfer dredged material
should be evaluated.
3. Project Alternatives. The SEIS/EIR
will include at a minimum the
following alternatives:
a. No Action: The original hydraulic
off-loader. A hydraulic off-loader
facility moored approximately 5 miles
from HWRP in San Pablo Bay would
pump dredged material as slurry
through a submerged pipeline to the
HWRP site. The facility would operate
for 6 to 9 months of the year. Traditional
aquatic disposal of dredged material at
in-bay or offshore disposal sites would
be performed during periods when an
off-loader is not operational, the
wetland construction site is not
available for material placement, or for
dredging projects with incompatible
equipment or scheduling requirements.
An off-loader facility will require an
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operational footprint of between 12 and
16 acres within San Pablo Bay.
b. Confined in-bay aquatic transfer
facility. An enclosed temporary dredged
material storage basin near or coincident
with the authorized disposal area SF–
10, approximately 5 miles offshore of
the Hamilton site in San Pablo Bay,
would allow a greater number of
dredging projects to contribute to
wetland restoration efforts. An aquatic
transfer facility would likely be used in
lieu of open water sites SF–10 and SF–
9 and other in-bay disposal areas during
the 13–19 year construction of the
HWRP. A confined transfer facility
would require between 30 to 40 acres in
San Pablo Bay, as opposed to the 149
acres that SF–9 and SF–10 now occupy.
c. Semi-confined in-bay aquatic
transfer facility. A semi-confined
temporary in-bay aquatic transfer
facility would function similarly to the
confined basin, but would not be
entirely enclosed within a structural
confinement. The general size of the
facility is anticipated to be the same as
the completely confined alternative.
d. Unconfined in-bay aquatic transfer
facility. An unconfined temporary
dredged material storage basin would
function as the confined basin but
would have no containment structure.
An unconfined basin would likely
require a footprint of 40 to 50 acres.
e. Combination of off-loader and
aquatic transfer basin methods.
4. Environmental Considerations. In
all cases, environmental considerations
will include patterns of currents;
suspended sediment transport;
turbidity; impacts to bathymetry and the
benthos; fish entrainment; water quality;
air, noise and aesthetic impacts;
potential benefits and impacts on either
commercial or recreational fishing; and
the temporary suspension or ongoing
use of in-bay dredged material disposal
sites SF–10 and possibly SF–9 as well
as other potential environmental issues
of concern.
5. Scoping Process. The Corps and
SCC are seeking input from interested
federal, state, and local agencies, Native
American representatives, and other
interested private organizations and
parties through provision of this notice
and holding of a scoping meeting (see
DATES). The purpose of this meeting is
to solicit input regarding the
environmental issues of concern and the
alternatives that should be discussed in
the SEIS/EIR. The public comment
period closes February 25, 2005.
6. Availability of SEIS/EIR. The public
will have an additional opportunity to
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comment on the proposed alternatives
after the draft SEIS/EIR is released to the
public in 2005.
Philip T. Feir,
Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers,
District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 05–903 Filed 1–14–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710–19–M
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of
Engineers
Chief of Engineers Environmental
Advisory Board; Meeting
Department of the Army, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
Notice of open meeting.
SUMMARY: In accordance with 10(a)(2) of
the Federal Advisory Committee Act
(Pub. L. 92–463), announcement is
made of the forthcoming meeting. The
meeting is open to the public.
Name of Committee: Chief of
Engineers Environmental Advisory
Board (EAB).
Date: February 2, 2005.
Location: Embassy Suites Hotel
Alexandria-Old Town, 1900 Diagonal
Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, (703)
684–5900.
Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Mr.
Norman Edwards, Headquarters, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Washington,
DC 20314–1000; phone: 202–761–1934.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
The Board
advises the Chief of Engineers on
environmental policy, identification and
resolution of environmental issues and
missions, and addressing challenges,
problems and opportunities in an
environmentally sustainable manner.
The EAB will be meeting with the
current Chief of Engineers for the first
time. The public meeting will focus on
general issues of national significance
rather than on individual project or
region related topics. Time will be
provided for public comment. Each
speaker will be limited to no more than
three minutes in order to accommodate
as many people as possible within the
limited time available.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 05–902 Filed 1–14–05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710–92–M
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[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 18, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 2856]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-902]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Chief of Engineers Environmental Advisory Board; Meeting
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee
Act (Pub. L. 92-463), announcement is made of the forthcoming meeting.
The meeting is open to the public.
Name of Committee: Chief of Engineers Environmental Advisory Board
(EAB).
Date: February 2, 2005.
Location: Embassy Suites Hotel Alexandria-Old Town, 1900 Diagonal
Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, (703) 684-5900.
Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Norman Edwards, Headquarters, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC 20314-1000; phone: 202-761-
1934.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Board advises the Chief of Engineers on
environmental policy, identification and resolution of environmental
issues and missions, and addressing challenges, problems and
opportunities in an environmentally sustainable manner. The EAB will be
meeting with the current Chief of Engineers for the first time. The
public meeting will focus on general issues of national significance
rather than on individual project or region related topics. Time will
be provided for public comment. Each speaker will be limited to no more
than three minutes in order to accommodate as many people as possible
within the limited time available.
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-902 Filed 1-14-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-92-M
