Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a Proposed Dredged Material Management Plan for Lorain Harbor, OH, 9934-9935 [07-1007]

Download as PDF 9934 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 43 / Tuesday, March 6, 2007 / Notices DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a Proposed Dredged Material Management Plan for Lorain Harbor, OH Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD. ACTION: Notice of Intent. cprice-sewell on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES AGENCY: SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 as implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500–1508) and Public Law 102–484 Section 2834, as amended by Public Law 104–106 Section 2867, the Department of the Army hereby gives notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the subject Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP). The Buffalo District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will be the lead agency in preparing the EIS. The EIS will consider Federal actions associated with the development of a DMMP for the Federal harbor at Lorain in Lorain County, OH. The DMMP is a study conducted to develop a long-term (20-year) strategy for providing viable dredged material placement alternatives that would meet the needs of maintaining the Federal navigation channels at Lorain Harbor. The overall goal of the DMMP is to develop an economical and environmentally sustainable plan for maintaining channels necessary for commercial navigation at Lorain Harbor. The plan considers a range of management strategies including reduced dredging and the use of dredged material as a beneficial resource. ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, CELRB–PM– PB, 1776 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14207–3199. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Michele Hope, Project Manager, telephone (716) 879–4124, or Mr. William Butler, NEPA Coordinator, telephone: (716) 879–4268. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Lorain Harbor is a deep-draft commercial harbor located in Lorain County, OH that encompasses the lower three miles of the Black River and its mouth at Lake Erie. On average, the Federal channels at the harbor are dredged every two years. From 1979 through 2005, all material dredged from the harbor was determined to be unsuitable for openlake placement. Consequently, in 1979, under the authority of Section 123 of the VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:35 Mar 05, 2007 Jkt 211001 River and Harbor Act of 1970, USACE completed construction of a confined disposal facility (CDF) for the placement of the material. At present, the harbor’s existing CDF is currently filled to approximately 90 percent of its total capacity. As a short-term measure to accommodate anticipated dredging needs in 2008 and 2010, the Corps of Engineers plans to conduct Operations and Maintenance activities that will consist of, among other things, the movement of material within the CDF to construct an interior berm within the facility in early 2007. This berm would increase the capacity of the facility to accept dredged material for another one or two dredging events. Additional berm-related work in 2009 and 2011 would extend the capacity of the facility through 2013. However, to address longterm dredging and dredged material management needs into 2014 and beyond, additional placement sites for dredged material must also be made available. Proposed Action In accordance with USACE Engineer Regulation 1105–2– 100, a DMMP is prepared for a Federal navigation project to ensure that maintenance dredging activities are performed in an environmentally acceptable manner, use sound engineering techniques, are economically warranted, and that sufficient confined disposal facilities (CDF) are available for at least the next 20 years. The proposed DMMP will focus on the management of dredged material during normal maintenance of the Federal navigation channels at Lorain Harbor, and will take into consideration non-Federal dredging projects permitted by the Buffalo District. The approved DMMP will be consistent with sound engineering practices and meet all Federal environmental compliance standards, including those established by Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. In addition, the DMMP will be consistent with State and local plans such as the Ohio Coastal Management Program and Black River Remedial Action Plan. Reasonable Alternatives: It is Corps of Engineers planning policy to consider all practicable and relevant alternative management measures. The alternative plans considered in the DMMP will consist of an array of placement and beneficial use measures. These measures have been combined into the following alternative plans for managing dredged material at Lorain Harbor: (1) Alternative Plan 1. This plan would involve the continued open-lake placement of suitable dredged material. Based on sediment quality analysis completed in 2002 and 2005, all Outer PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Harbor sediments and a small portion of the lower Black River Channel sediments were approved for unconfined open-lake placement. Preliminary evaluation of 2006 sediment quality data indicates that a major portion of the Black River Channel sediments also meet Federal guidelines for unconfined open-lake placement. This plan would also involve the continued implementation of the ongoing Fill Management Plan at the harbor’s existing CDF. As a result of Operations and Maintenance activities, which would consist of the construction of a series of three interior berms, additional confinement capacity would be gained to extend the useful life of the facility through 2013. In addition, planning would continue for the completion of a new CDF by 2914 that would have the capacity to confine dredged material through 2026; (2) Alternative Plan 2. Under this plan, beneficial use options for the dredged material would be implemented. Beneficial uses could include the restoration of brownfield sites, bank stabilization, habitat creation, and agricultural field development. All material dredged from the harbor could either be transported and de-watered immediately as it is removed or excavated from the existing CDF and transported to the beneficial sites(s). As with Alternative 1, dredged material management and berm-related work would continue within the CDF through 2013 to maximize its confinement capacity; (3) Alternative Plan 3. This plan is similar to Alternative Plan 2, except suitable dredged material would continue to be placed at the designated open-lake site; and (4) Alternative Plan 4. Under this plan, the Federal Government would do nothing to address the need for the future longterm placement of dredged material. At the point that the Fill Management Plan has been fully implemented (2014), no further dredging of the Federal navigation channels at Lorain Harbor would occur. With a lack of acceptable dredged material placement sites, no Federal action would be taken to address the recurring dredging needs at the harbor. Scoping Process: The Corps of Engineers invites affected Federal, State and local agencies, affected Indian tribes, and other interested organizations and individuals to participate in development of the EIS. The Corps of Engineers anticipates conducting a public scoping meeting for this EIS. The exact date, time and location of this meeting have not yet been set. This information will be E:\FR\FM\06MRN1.SGM 06MRN1 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 43 / Tuesday, March 6, 2007 / Notices publicized once the meeting arrangements have been made. The Draft EIS is tentatively scheduled to be available for public review in September 2007. The Final EIS is tentatively scheduled to be available for public review in February 2008. Dated: February 16, 2007. John S. Hurley, Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Commander. [FR Doc. 07–1007 Filed 3–5–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3710–GP–M DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Navy Information on Surplus Land at a Military Installation Designated for Disposal: Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Detachment, Concord, CA Department of the Navy, DoD. Notice. AGENCY: cprice-sewell on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES ACTION: SUMMARY: This notice provides information on the surplus property at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Detachment, Concord, CA. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Kimberly Kesler, Director, Base Realignment and Closure Program Management Office, 1455 Frazee Road, San Diego, CA 92108–4310, telephone 619–532–0993; or Ms. Laura Duchnak, Director, Base Realignment and Closure Program Management Office, West, 1455 Frazee Road, San Diego, CA 92108–4310, telephone 619-532–0994. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 2005, Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Detachment, Concord, CA, was designated for closure under the authority of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990, Public Law 101–510, as amended (the Act). Pursuant to this designation, on January 23, 2006, land and facilities at this installation were declared excess to the Department of the Navy (DON) and available to other Department of Defense components and other Federal agencies. The DON has evaluated all timely Federal requests and has made a decision on property required by the Federal Government. Notice of Surplus Property. Pursuant to paragraph (7)(B) of Section 2905(b) of the Act, as amended by the Base Closure Community Redevelopment and Homeless Assistance Act of 1994, the following information regarding the redevelopment authority for surplus property at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Detachment, Concord, CA, is published in the Federal Register VerDate Aug<31>2005 15:35 Mar 05, 2007 Jkt 211001 Redevelopment Authority. The Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) for the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Detachment, Concord, CA, is the City of Concord. The point of contact is Mr. Michael Wright, Reuse Project Director, City of Concord, 1950 Parkside Drive, MS/1B, Concord, CA 94519, telephone 925–671–3019. Surplus Property Description. The following is a list of the land and facilities at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Detachment, Concord, CA, that are surplus to the needs of the Federal Government. a. Land. Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Detachment, Concord, CA, consists of approximately 12,882 acres of improved and unimproved fee simple land located within Contra Costa County and the City of Concord. Excluded from this determination of surplus are two parcels of property. The first parcel is approximately 7,791 acres, including six islands. This area will be transferred to the U.S. Army. The second parcel is approximately 63 acres, including approximately 318 residential housing units. This area will be transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard. In general, the remaining 5,028 acres of property will be available when the installation operationally closes in September 2008. b. Buildings. The following is a summary of the buildings and other improvements located on the abovedescribed land that will also be available when the installation closes. Property numbers are available on request. (1) Administrative/Training facilities (5 structures). Comments: Approximately 10,020 square feet. (2) Inert Storage facilities (13 structures). Comments: Approximately 125,000 square feet. Includes inert storage buildings used to store nonexplosive ordnance items and materials. (3) Paved areas (roads and surface areas). Comments: Approximately 781,519 square yards of roads and other surface areas, i.e., sidewalks, parking lots, etc., including approximately 1,642,212 square feet of airfield runway. (4) Explosive Ordnance Magazines (217 structures). Comments: Approximately 879,000 square feet. Previously used as ammunition storage, high explosive storage, missile magazines, etc. (5) Operational and Maintenance facilities (40 structures). Comments: Approximately 150,000 square feet. Includes test buildings, ammunition rework shops, maintenance shops, ancillary personnel support facilities, etc. PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 9935 (6) Miscellaneous facilities (19 structures). Comments: Approximately 11,567 square feet, including security gatehouses, guard towers, etc. (7) Rail facilities. Comments: Approximately 55 miles of railroad track and 41 barricaded railroad siding structures. (8) Utility facilities. Comments: Measuring systems vary; includes gas, telephone, electric, storm drainage, water, sewer, fire protection systems, etc. Redevelopment Planning. Pursuant to Section 2905 (b)(7)(F) of the Act, the LRA will conduct a community outreach effort with respect to the surplus property, and will publish in a newspaper of general circulation in the communities within the vicinity of Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach Detachment, Concord, CA, the time period during which the LRA will receive notices of interest from State and local governments, representatives of the homeless, and other interested parties. This publication shall include the name, address, telephone number, and the point of contact for the LRA who can provide information on the prescribed form and contents of the notices of interest. Dated: February 27, 2007. M.A. Harvison, Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register Liaison Officer. [FR Doc. E7–3848 Filed 3–5–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Navy Information on Surplus Land at a Military Installation Designated for Disposal: Naval Station Pascagoula, MS Department of the Navy, DoD. Notice. AGENCY: ACTION: SUMMARY: This notice provides information on withdrawal of surplus property at Naval Station Pascagoula, MS, Sandhill Landing Housing Area. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Kimberly Kesler, Director, Base Realignment and Closure Program Management Office, 1455 Frazee Road, San Diego, CA 92108–4310, telephone 619–532–0993; or Mr. James E. Anderson, Director, Base Realignment and Closure Program Management Office, Southeast, 4130 Faber Place Drive, Suite 202, North Charleston, SC 29405, telephone 843–743–2147. E:\FR\FM\06MRN1.SGM 06MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 6, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9934-9935]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-1007]



[[Page 9934]]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a 
Proposed Dredged Material Management Plan for Lorain Harbor, OH

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION:  Notice of Intent.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 as implemented by the Council on 
Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508) and Public 
Law 102-484 Section 2834, as amended by Public Law 104-106 Section 
2867, the Department of the Army hereby gives notice of intent to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the subject Dredged 
Material Management Plan (DMMP). The Buffalo District of the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers (USACE) will be the lead agency in preparing the 
EIS.
    The EIS will consider Federal actions associated with the 
development of a DMMP for the Federal harbor at Lorain in Lorain 
County, OH. The DMMP is a study conducted to develop a long-term (20-
year) strategy for providing viable dredged material placement 
alternatives that would meet the needs of maintaining the Federal 
navigation channels at Lorain Harbor. The overall goal of the DMMP is 
to develop an economical and environmentally sustainable plan for 
maintaining channels necessary for commercial navigation at Lorain 
Harbor. The plan considers a range of management strategies including 
reduced dredging and the use of dredged material as a beneficial 
resource.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, CELRB-PM-PB, 
1776 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14207-3199.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Michele Hope, Project Manager, 
telephone (716) 879-4124, or Mr. William Butler, NEPA Coordinator, 
telephone: (716) 879-4268.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Lorain Harbor is a deep-draft commercial 
harbor located in Lorain County, OH that encompasses the lower three 
miles of the Black River and its mouth at Lake Erie. On average, the 
Federal channels at the harbor are dredged every two years. From 1979 
through 2005, all material dredged from the harbor was determined to be 
unsuitable for open-lake placement. Consequently, in 1979, under the 
authority of Section 123 of the River and Harbor Act of 1970, USACE 
completed construction of a confined disposal facility (CDF) for the 
placement of the material. At present, the harbor's existing CDF is 
currently filled to approximately 90 percent of its total capacity. As 
a short-term measure to accommodate anticipated dredging needs in 2008 
and 2010, the Corps of Engineers plans to conduct Operations and 
Maintenance activities that will consist of, among other things, the 
movement of material within the CDF to construct an interior berm 
within the facility in early 2007. This berm would increase the 
capacity of the facility to accept dredged material for another one or 
two dredging events. Additional berm-related work in 2009 and 2011 
would extend the capacity of the facility through 2013. However, to 
address long-term dredging and dredged material management needs into 
2014 and beyond, additional placement sites for dredged material must 
also be made available.
    Proposed Action In accordance with USACE Engineer Regulation 1105-
2-100, a DMMP is prepared for a Federal navigation project to ensure 
that maintenance dredging activities are performed in an 
environmentally acceptable manner, use sound engineering techniques, 
are economically warranted, and that sufficient confined disposal 
facilities (CDF) are available for at least the next 20 years. The 
proposed DMMP will focus on the management of dredged material during 
normal maintenance of the Federal navigation channels at Lorain Harbor, 
and will take into consideration non-Federal dredging projects 
permitted by the Buffalo District. The approved DMMP will be consistent 
with sound engineering practices and meet all Federal environmental 
compliance standards, including those established by Section 404 of the 
Clean Water Act. In addition, the DMMP will be consistent with State 
and local plans such as the Ohio Coastal Management Program and Black 
River Remedial Action Plan.
    Reasonable Alternatives: It is Corps of Engineers planning policy 
to consider all practicable and relevant alternative management 
measures. The alternative plans considered in the DMMP will consist of 
an array of placement and beneficial use measures. These measures have 
been combined into the following alternative plans for managing dredged 
material at Lorain Harbor: (1) Alternative Plan 1. This plan would 
involve the continued open-lake placement of suitable dredged material. 
Based on sediment quality analysis completed in 2002 and 2005, all 
Outer Harbor sediments and a small portion of the lower Black River 
Channel sediments were approved for unconfined open-lake placement. 
Preliminary evaluation of 2006 sediment quality data indicates that a 
major portion of the Black River Channel sediments also meet Federal 
guidelines for unconfined open-lake placement. This plan would also 
involve the continued implementation of the ongoing Fill Management 
Plan at the harbor's existing CDF. As a result of Operations and 
Maintenance activities, which would consist of the construction of a 
series of three interior berms, additional confinement capacity would 
be gained to extend the useful life of the facility through 2013. In 
addition, planning would continue for the completion of a new CDF by 
2914 that would have the capacity to confine dredged material through 
2026; (2) Alternative Plan 2. Under this plan, beneficial use options 
for the dredged material would be implemented. Beneficial uses could 
include the restoration of brownfield sites, bank stabilization, 
habitat creation, and agricultural field development. All material 
dredged from the harbor could either be transported and de-watered 
immediately as it is removed or excavated from the existing CDF and 
transported to the beneficial sites(s). As with Alternative 1, dredged 
material management and berm-related work would continue within the CDF 
through 2013 to maximize its confinement capacity; (3) Alternative Plan 
3. This plan is similar to Alternative Plan 2, except suitable dredged 
material would continue to be placed at the designated open-lake site; 
and (4) Alternative Plan 4. Under this plan, the Federal Government 
would do nothing to address the need for the future long-term placement 
of dredged material. At the point that the Fill Management Plan has 
been fully implemented (2014), no further dredging of the Federal 
navigation channels at Lorain Harbor would occur. With a lack of 
acceptable dredged material placement sites, no Federal action would be 
taken to address the recurring dredging needs at the harbor.
    Scoping Process: The Corps of Engineers invites affected Federal, 
State and local agencies, affected Indian tribes, and other interested 
organizations and individuals to participate in development of the EIS. 
The Corps of Engineers anticipates conducting a public scoping meeting 
for this EIS. The exact date, time and location of this meeting have 
not yet been set. This information will be

[[Page 9935]]

publicized once the meeting arrangements have been made.
    The Draft EIS is tentatively scheduled to be available for public 
review in September 2007.
    The Final EIS is tentatively scheduled to be available for public 
review in February 2008.

    Dated: February 16, 2007.
John S. Hurley,
Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Commander.
[FR Doc. 07-1007 Filed 3-5-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-GP-M
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