[Federal Register: May 26, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 101)]
[Notices]
[Page 30421-30422]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26my05-47]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)
for the Construction of a Proposed Disposal Site for Dredged material
in the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River, at Masonville, Baltimore
City/Application for a Corps Section 10/404 Individual Permit
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps)
expects receipt of an application in
[[Page 30422]]
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.
DATES: A public scoping meeting is scheduled for June 15, 2005, at 7
p.m. Display material and staff will be available beginning at 6 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting address is the Baum Auditorium at the Harbor
Hospital; 3001 S. Hanover Street, Baltimore, MD 21225.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions or information about the
proposed action and draft EIS can be addressed to Jon Romeo, Operations
Division, Regulatory Branch, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CENAB-
OP-RMN, 10 South Howard Street, P.O. Box 1715, Baltimore, MD 21203-
1715, telephone 410-972-6079; e-mail address:
jon.romeo@nab02.usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Baltimore Harbor study area is defined
as the Patapsco River area west of the North Point-Rock Point line in
the Patapsco River to include Old Road Bay, Bear Creek, Middle Branch,
Northwest Branch, and Curtis Bay and the shoreline and open water
between them. Currently dredged material from Baltimore harbor is being
placed in the Hart-Miller Island (HMI) Containment Facility, and, in
the near future, will be placed in the Cox Creek Dredged Material
Containment Facility (DMCF). State legislative requirements prohibit
placing dredged material in HMI after December 31, 2009. Management of
the cover and closure of HMI may limit acceptance of dredged material
placement capacity could occur beginning with the 2008 dredging season
(Fall 2008). The purpose of the proposed Masonville disposal site, and
the associated EIS is to determine an environmentally sound,
economically feasible method for the placement or use of dredged
material removed from harbor channels and new dredge areas. There is an
estimated 16 million cubic yard shortfall in dredged material capacity
within the harbor over the next 20 years. The applicant and the Corps
are actively seeking public opinion, participation, and advice to be
incorporated into the planning process and the selection of placement
options for harbor dredged material. At this time, the projects under
consideration include confined disposal sites at Masonville, BP-
Fairfield, and Sparrows Point.
Alternatives to be addressed in the DEIS will include: The no
action alternative and confined disposal facilities at Masonville, BP-
Fairfield, and Sparrows Point. Beneficial uses, such as habitat
creation or restoration may be associated with these options. Community
enhancement may also be associated with these options, such as public
access to waterfront areas, maritime heritage projects, community parks
and trails. As part of the initial phase of the study, an objective
screening criteria developed in 2002 through the State's Dredged
Material Management Program (DMMP) process, will continue to be used to
evaluate harbor sites based on current information obtained from the
State of Maryland's DMMP, the Harbor Team, public and agency input,
available data, and best professional judgment. Following the NEPA
process, once projects are selected for consideration, a detailed
analysis of the existing conditions will be undertaken; alternative
plans will be developed, analyzed and compared; the impacts of those
plans will be analyzed; and a recommended plan will be selected.
To solicit public input into the draft EIS and into the selection
of a project or projects, a public scoping meeting is planned (see
DATES and ADDRESSES).
The EIS will be integrated with analyses and consultation required
by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), seciton 10 of the
River and Harbor Act, section 401 and section 404 of the Clean Water
Act, section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act, the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act, Prime and Unique Farmlands, the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. All appropriate
documentation (i.e., section 7, section 106 coordination letters, and
public and agency comments) will be obtained and included as part of
the EIS. As part of the EIS process, recommendations will be based on
an evaluation of the probable impact of the proposed activity on the
public interest. The decision will reflect the national concern for the
protection and utilization of important resources. The benefit, which
may reasonably be expected to accrue from the proposal, will be
balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments. All factors
that may be relevant to the proposal will be considered, among these
are wetlands; fish and wildlife resources; cultural resources; land
use; water and air quality; hazardous, toxic, and radioactive
substances; threatened and endangered species; regional geology;
aesthetics; environmental justice; navigation; cumulative impacts; and
the general needs and welfare of the public. The draft EIS is expected
for public release in March 2006.
Christina E. Correale,
Chief, Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 05-10543 Filed 5-25-05; 8:45 am]
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