[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 76 (Wednesday, April 21, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20826-20827]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-9204]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement on Beach and Dune Restoration in St. Lucie County, FL
AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI).
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Jacksonville
District, has received a permit application for a Department of the
Army permit under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act and Section
404 of the Clean Water Act from the St. Lucie County Erosion Control
District (County) to construct a beach nourishment and dune restoration
project along St. Lucie County. As part of the permit process, the
Corps is evaluating the environmental effects associated with beach
nourishment and dune restoration.
The primary Federal involvement associated with the Proposed Action
is the dredging and discharge of fill within navigable waters of the
United States. Because of the extensive hardbottom resources
immediately adjacent to the beach, the high recreational uses of the
project area, and the potential environmental impacts of the proposed
project, the Corps will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to
render a final decision on the County's permit application. The Corps'
decision will be to either issue or deny a Department of the Army
permit for the Proposed Action. The Draft EIS (DEIS) is intended to be
sufficient in scope to address Federal, State, and local requirements
and environmental issues
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concerning the Proposed Action and permit reviews.
The ongoing St. Lucie County, FL, Shore Protection Feasibility
Study was authorized by Section 418 of the Water Resources and
Development Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-541). It is anticipated that this
study will culminate in a congressionally authorized Federal project
and the Corps will cost share future renourishment events subsequent to
the construction of the initial project by the permittee. In addition,
as a Federal agency with jurisdiction to manage resources available on
the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), the U.S. Minerals Management Service
would be invited to become a cooperating agency on the study should
potential borrow areas be identified within Federal waters (outside the
3-mile State statutory limit).
DATES: A public scoping workshop will be held on, or about, May 19,
2010 at 6 p.m. EST.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the following location. St.
Lucie County Commission Chambers, Roger Poitras Administration Annex,
2300 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce, FL 34982. The workshop will give
agencies and the public an opportunity to receive more information on
the Proposed Action, alternatives, and to provide comments and
suggestions on the scope of the EIS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the Proposed Action
and Draft EIS should be directed to Mr. Garett Lips, Corps Regulatory
Project Manager, by telephone at (561) 472-3519 or by e-mail at
[email protected]. Written comments should be addressed to
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Attn: Mr. Garett Lips, 4400 PGA
Boulevard, Suite 500, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 34410 or by facsimile
at (561) 626-6971.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: a. Project Background and Authorization. The
Corps will study the southern 3.8 miles of County shoreline which
approximately coincides with Florida Department of Environmental
Protection Shoreline Monuments R-88.5 to R-90.3, and R-98 to the St.
Lucie/Martin County line. The study area is comprised of the shoreline
and nearshore environment. The shoreline in this area has experienced
long-term erosion due to waves and intense tropical storms.
b. Background: No previous beach nourishment activities have
occurred along this segment of beach. However, upland dune restoration
was performed after Hurricane Jeanne in 2004, which was not regulated
by the Corps. Native dune vegetation is limited to those few locations
where the dry beach extends far enough to allow dune vegetation to
grow. Based on aerial photography, hardbottom colonized by
Phragmatopoma lapidosa is commonly found within 600 feet of the inter-
tidal beach, depending on the time of evaluation and the specific
location within the project area.
c. Purpose and Need: The project purpose is to stabilize and
restore the beach and dune between FDEP Monuments R-88.5 to R-90.3, and
R-98 to the St. Lucie/Martin County line.
d. Proposed Action. St. Lucie County intends to restore the beach
and dune by placing approximately 610,000 cubic yards of beach
compatible sand along the proposed project's beach. The sand will be
hopper-dredged from a relict shoal approximately three to six miles
offshore of FDEP monuments R-88 to R-115.
e. Alternatives. An evaluation of alternatives to the Proposed
Action initially being considered includes a ``No Action'' alternative,
beach nourishment and dune restoration through filling activities, as
well as analyzing other reasonable alternatives developed through the
project scoping process to stabilizing the beach to meet the identified
purpose and need.
f. Draft EIS Scoping Process: The Corps is furnishing this notice
to advise other Federal and State agencies, affected federally
recognized Tribes, and the public of our intentions. This notice
announces the initiation of a 30-day scoping period which requests the
public's involvement in the scoping and evaluation process of the DEIS.
Stakeholders will be notified through advertisements, public notices
and other means. All parties who express interest will be given an
opportunity to participate in this process. The process allows the
Corps to obtain suggestions and information on the scope of issues and
an opportunity to provide reasonable alternatives to be included in the
Draft EIS. The Corps invites comments from all interested parties to
ensure that all significant issues are identified and the full range of
issues related to the permit request are addressed. We will accept
written comments until 30 days after the date of publication of this
notice. (See DATES and ADDRESSES)
g. Significant issues: The DEIS will analyze the following:
aesthetics/visual quality, agricultural resources, air quality,
biological resources, cultural resources, cumulative impacts,
environmental justice, flood protection, geology/soils, growth
inducement, land use/planning, noise/vibration, public health and
safety, public services/utilities, recreation, socioeconomics,
threatened and endangered species, traffic/circulation, water resources
including wetlands, and other issues identified through scoping, public
involvement, and interagency coordination. The Corps will conduct an
environmental review of the Proposed Action in accordance with the
requirements of NEPA, 1969, as amended, (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and
its implementing regulations (40 Code of Federal Regulations, Section
1500 et seq.), Corps Procedures for Implementing NEPA (33 Code of
Federal Regulations, Section 230 et seq.), NEPA Implementation
Procedures for the Regulatory Program (33 Code of Federal Regulations,
Section 325, Appendix B), and with other appropriate Federal laws and
regulations, policies, and procedures of the Corps for compliance with
those regulations. The Proposed Action, through the Corps permit review
process, will require consultation under Section 7 of the Endangered
Species Act and the Magnunson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act. Additionally, the proposed action would involve
evaluation for compliance with the Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines of the
Clean Water Act; Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act;
Water Quality Certification pursuant to Section 401 of the Clean Water
Act; certification of State lands, easements and right of ways; and
determination of Coastal Zone Management Act consistency.
h. Availability of the Draft EIS. The Corps currently expects the
DEIS to be made available to the public in late October 2010. A public
meeting will be held during the public comment period for the DEIS.
Written comments will be accepted at the meeting.
Donnie W. Kinard,
Chief, Regulatory Division, Jacksonville District.
[FR Doc. 2010-9204 Filed 4-20-10; 8:45 am]
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