Engineers Corps May 10, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District is preparing a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to maintenance dredge the federal navigation channels landward of Spectacle Island in Boston Harbor, MA. Maintenance dredging of the navigation channels landward of Spectacle Island is needed to remove shoals and restore the navigation channels to their authorized depths. Ships are currently experiencing tidal delays and potential damage from grounding. Material dredged from the federal channels will either be disposed at the Massachusetts Bay Disposal Site (if the material is suitable for ocean disposal) or, if the material is not suitable for ocean disposal, in confined aquatic disposal (CAD) cell(s). Major navigation channel improvements (depending) were made in 1999 through 2001 in the Reserved Channel, the Mystic River, Inner Confluence and the Chelsa River. A final EIS was prepared for this previous navigation improvement project in June of 1995 in which the use of CAD cells in the Mystic River, Inner Confluence, and Chelsea River were investigated. CAD cells not used during the construction of the previous navigation improvement project will be investigated for acceptability during the preparation of this SEIS.