Army Department May 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) expects receipt of an application in January 2006 from the State of Maryland Department of Transportation, Maryland Port Administration (MPA) for a Section 10/404 individual permit for the construction of a disposal site for dredged material in the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River, at Masonville, Baltimore City, MD. Based on preliminary discussions with the MPA, the Corps has determined that an environmental impact statement (EIS) is required for this proposed project. The applicant's stated purpose of the proposed project is to provide a disposal site to accommodate dredged material generated by dredging projects occurring over the next 5 to 10 years in the Baltimore Harbor area. The EIS will focus on the 5-10 year dredging needs within Baltimore Harbor and upland containment and beneficial use of dredged materials from the Port of Baltimore channel system in the Patapsco River and its tributaries. As part of this study, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, an EIS will be prepared to document the plan formulation process and recommendations of this study.

This notice of intent (NOI) for the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)Louisiana, Caminada Headland and Shell Island Restoration Feasibility Study (LCA Caminada-Shell Island Study) supersedes the notices of intent for the Barrier Shoreline Restoration in Lafourche, Jefferson, and Plaquemines Parishes, Louisiana, a Component of the Louisiana Coastal Area, LouisianaEcosystem Restoration, Barrier Island Restoration, Marsh Creation, and River Diversion, Barataria Basin Feasibility Study (Barrier Shoreline Restoration Study); and the Wetland Restoration and/or Creation in the Barataria Basin, Louisiana, a Component of the Louisiana Coastal Area, LouisianaEcosystem Restoration, Barrier Island Restoration, Marsh Creation, and River Diversion, Barataria Basin Feasibility Study (LCA Wetland Restoration Study). This notice of intent addresses the Caminada Headland and Shell Island reaches of the Barataria barrier shoreline that is presently addressed in the NOI for the Barrier Shoreline Restoration Study and also addresses the Chenier Unit marsh creation feature that is presently addressed in the NOI for the Wetland Restoration Study.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), Wilmington District, Wilmington Regulatory Field Office has received a request for Department of the Army authorization, pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbor Act, from the Town of North Topsail Beach to nourish approximately 7.25 miles of beachfront to protect residential homes and town infrastructures, and to implement an inlet management plan with the New River Inlet to control the positioning of the inlet channel. The new channel will be centrally located perpendicular to the adjacent shorelines of North Topsail Beach and Onslow Beach. The proposed source of the material for the nourishment will be dredged from offshore borrow area(s) and from the repositioning of the inlet. The placement of beach fill along the Town's shoreline would result in the initial widening of the beach by 50 to 100 feet. The widened beach would be maintained through a program of undefined periodic beach nourishment events with the material extracted primarily from the New River Inlet. The ocean shoreline in the Town of North Topsail Beach encompasses approximately 11.1 miles along the northern end of Topsail Island. Currently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is developing a Federal shoreline protection plan for parts of North Topsail Beach. This Federal plan will only cover 3.85 miles of the southern part of the beach. The remaining 7.25-miles of North Topsail Beach, with the exception of two small areas, is located within the Coastal Barrier Resource System (CBRS), which prohibits the expenditure of Federal funds that would encourage development. Therefore, the Town is pursuing to develop this non-Federal shoreline protection plan that will preserve existing development and infrastructure along the 7.25 miles of shoreline. The channel through New River Inlet has been maintained by the COE for commercial and recreational boating interest for over 55 years. The COE is authorized to maintain the channel in the inlet to a depth of 6 feet mean low water (mlw) over a width of 90 feet.

In accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District has prepared a Draft Integrated Feasibility Report & Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the flood damage reduction project for the Town of Bloomsburg, in Columbia County, PA. The integrated report investigates the potential environmental effects of an array of alternative plans based on reducing flood damages in Bloomsburg. The preferred alternative includes 16,555 linear feet of levee/floodwall systems with fourteen drainage structures, and nine closure structures, six of which incorporate limited road raisings. We are making the integrated report and EIS available to the public for a 45-day review and comment period.

In accordance with Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), announcement is made of the following committee meeting: Name of Committee: Coastal Engineering Research Board (CERB). Date of Meeting: June 7-9, 2005. Place: William A. Egan Civic and Convention Center, 555 West 5th Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501. Times:

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.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District have developed the six guidance memoranda required by the programmatic regulations for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan for approval by the Secretary of the Army. The public is invited to review and comment on the final draft of the guidance memoranda prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District.