[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 127 (Friday, July 2, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38501-38502]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-16137]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army
Corps of Engineers
The Release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)
for the Town of Nags Head Proposed Beach Nourishment Project in Dare
County, NC
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), Wilmington District,
Regulatory Division, has been reviewing a request for Department of the
Army authorization, pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and
Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, from the Town of Nags
Head to dredge up to 4.6 million cubic yards of beach-quality sediment
from an offshore borrow source, and deposit the material along
approximately 10 miles of ocean shoreline in the Town of Nags Head.
The applicant proposes to utilize a self-contained hopper dredge
during a proposed construction window from April through September to
undertake the dredging operations and discharge the sand on the beach
via submerged pipeline. The applicant's proposed borrow areas include
sites identified as having beach quality material in the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District's EIS, entitled Final
Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement on Hurricane
Protection and Beach Erosion Control, dated September 2000 (USACE
2000).
DATES: Written comments on the Final EIS will be received until July
26, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Copies of comments and questions regarding the Final EIS may
be addressed to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District,
Washington Regulatory Field Office. ATTN: File Number 200640282, 2407
W. Fifth Street, Washington, NC 27889. Copies of the Draft EIS can be
reviewed on the Wilmington District Regulatory homepage at, http://
www.saw.usace.army.mil/wetlands/
[[Page 38502]]
regtour.htm, or contact Ms. Sharon Barnett, at (910) 251-4555, to
receive written or CD copies of the Final EIS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action
and FEIS can be directed to Mr. Raleigh Bland, Project Manager,
Regulatory Division, telephone: (910) 251-4564.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Project Description. The project site is located off NC Highway
12, adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, in the Town of Nags Head, Dare
County, NC. The proposed project totals approximately 10 miles of ocean
shoreline beginning approximately 1 mile from the town's northern limit
and extending south to the town line adjacent to the Cape Hatteras
National Seashore. The proposed borrow area is located in the Atlantic
Ocean approximately 2-3 miles offshore of the project site. The Town of
Nags Head encompasses approximately 11 miles of ocean shoreline on a
barrier island located at the northern end of North Carolina's Outer
Banks. The width of the berm of the island's dune system varies
considerably with location along the town's beach and with the season.
Along most of the project area, the winter berm is non-existent due to
continuing erosion processes. Dune habitat is currently decreasing due
to excessive erosion of the base or toe of the dunes by waves that
travel unimpeded over eroded wet beach to directly impact dunes. The
Town of Nags Head proposes to excavate 4.6 million cubic yards of
beach-quality sediment from an offshore borrow source, and deposit the
material along approximately 10 miles of ocean shoreline owned by the
Town of Nags Head.
2. Proposed Action. The purpose of the proposed action is to
nourish the Town of Nags Head's ocean shoreline to restore a protective
beach, replace sand lost during the period of delay in the
implementation of the federal Dare County Hurricane Protection and
Beach Erosion Control Project (USACE 2000), and to help preserve
property values and the tax base of Dare County.
The proposed borrow area includes portions of offshore areas
identified by the Corps of Engineers in the 2000 Federal Dare County
Project. The anticipated optimal equipment for excavations will include
ocean-certified, self-contained hopper dredges. Such equipment
typically excavates shallow trenches (approximately 2-3 foot sections)
in each pass (leaving narrow undisturbed areas at the margin of each
cut), then travels to a buoyed pipeline anchored close to shore.
Discharge to the beach is via submerged pipeline across the surf zone,
then by way of shore-based pipe positioned along the dry beach. Only a
small area of the Corps borrow area will be required to provide up to
4.6 million cubic yards of beach quality material. The applicant is
coordinating the specific area for use in the proposed project with the
Corps with the following understanding: (1) The final borrow area
required for the emergency beach nourishment project can be limited to
the equivalent of a 0.9 square-mile (approximately 575 acres) area, (2)
the borrow area used will be contiguous rather than a series of small
impact areas, (3) once used, the borrow area will no longer be
available for use, consistent with the Dare County Project, and (4) the
borrow area will be delineated so as to avoid ongoing biological
monitoring stations established by the Corps in connection with the
Dare County Project. The project will be built in approximate 1-2 mile
sections, optimizing the disposition of pipeline. Sections will be
pumped into place with the aid of temporary dikes pushed up by
bulldozers in the surf zone. Daily operations will impact approximately
500-1,000 linear feet of shoreline as work progresses in either
direction from the submerged pipeline. Upon completion of a section,
the submerged pipe and beach-building equipment will be shifted to the
next section. As construction progresses, sections will be graded to
final contours, dressed to eliminate low areas, and opened for use by
the public. Support equipment will be shifted out of completed sections
as soon as practicable, so that construction activities in a particular
reach will not disrupt normal beach use for only a month or so at any
locality. The finished sections will be allowed to adjust to natural
processes for several months. The final process will include the
placement of dune fencing and/or dune plantings as needed or required.
4. Alternatives. An extensive alternatives analysis was performed
and reviewed for this project. This included the evaluation of a no
action alternative; a retreat and relocate alternative; and the
preferred alternative. Many alternatives were identified and evaluated
through the scoping process, and further detailed descriptions of all
alternatives is disclosed in Section 5.0 of the Final EIS.
5. Scoping Process. A public scoping meeting was held on April 28,
2009 and public and agency comments were solicited for input in the
preparation of the Draft and Final EIS. The scoping meeting was well
attended by the public, as well as representatives from local, state,
and federal governmental agencies.
The COE coordinated closely with the North Carolina Division of
Coastal Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the
National Marine Fisheries Service in the development of the Final EIS
to ensure the process complies with State Environmental Policy Act
(SEPA) requirements, as well as the NEPA requirements. The Final EIS
has been designed to consolidate both NEPA and SEPA processes. The
State of North Carolina has issued a 401 Water Quality Certification
Permit and a Coastal Zone Consistency Determination in the form of a
Coastal Area Management Act Permit.
Dated: June 17, 2010.
Jefferson M. Ryscavage,
Colonel, U.S. Army, District Commander.
[FR Doc. 2010-16137 Filed 7-1-10; 8:45 am]
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