[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 7 (Friday, January 10, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1843-1844]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-00262]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) for the Installation of a Terminal Groin Structure at
the Western End of South Beach, Bald Head Island, Adjacent to the
Federal Wilmington Harbor Channel of the Cape Fear River (Brunswick
County, North Carolina)
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), 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
Village of Bald Head Island (VBHI) to develop and implement a shoreline
protection plan that includes the installation of a terminal groin
structure on the east side of the Wilmington Harbor Bald Head Shoal
Entrance Channel (a federally-maintained navigation channel of the Cape
Fear River) at the ``Point'' of Bald Head Island.
DATES: A public hearing for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(DEIS) will be held at the International Longshoreman's Association
Hall, located at 211 West 10th Street in Southport, Brunswick County,
North Carolina, on February 12, 2014, at 6:00 p.m. Written comments on
the DEIS will be received until February 24, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Copies of comments and questions regarding scoping of the
DEIS may be submitted to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps),
Wilmington District, Regulatory Division. Attn: File Number SAW-2012-
00040, 69 Darlington Avenue, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action
and DEIS can be directed to Mr. Ronnie Smith, Wilmington Regulatory
Field Office, telephone number: (910) 251-4829. A copy of the DEIS can
be found at the following link: http://www.saw.usace.army.mil/Missions/RegulatoryPermitProgram/PublicNotices.aspx under the VBHI Terminal
Groin Project.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Project Description. The west end of South Beach, Bald Head
Island, Brunswick County, North Carolina, has experienced both chronic
and short-term shoreline erosion. This erosion has resulted in direct
impacts to nearby beaches and dunes and could potentially impact public
infrastructure and homes. This area has been subject to past sand
placement activities sponsored by both the VBHI and the Corps. The
Corps has placed several million cubic yards of suitable material on
this shoreline since 1991 as part of a Federal navigation project. To
address its erosion issue, the VBHI desires to implement a long-term
beach and dune stabilization strategy to include installation of a
single terminal groin at the western end of South Beach. The proposed
terminal groin would be expected to perform the following functions:
(1) Reduce inlet-directed sand losses from beach fill projects; and (2)
stabilize shoreline alignment along the westernmost segment of South
Beach in such a manner that alongshore transport rates are reduced. The
terminal groin would serve as a ``template'' for fill material placed
eastward (of the proposed terminal groin). The proposed groin has been
designed as a ``leaky'' structure (i.e. semi-permeable) so as to
provide for some level of sand transport to West Beach (located
northward and downdrift of the proposed groin).
2. Issues. There are several potential environmental and public
interest issues that are addressed in the DEIS. Additional issues may
be identified during the public review process. Issues initially
identified as potentially significant include:
[[Page 1844]]
a. Potential impacts to marine biological resources (benthic
organisms, passageway for fish and other marine life) and Essential
Fish Habitat.
b. Potential impacts to threatened and endangered marine mammals,
reptiles, birds, fish, and plants.
c. Potential for shoreline changes on West Beach of Bald Head
Island and adjacent areas.
d. Potential impacts to navigation, commercial and recreational.
e. Potential impacts to the long-term management of the oceanfront
shorelines.
f. Potential effects on regional sand sources and sand management
practices.
g. Potential effects of shoreline protection.
h. Potential impacts on public health and safety.
i. Potential impacts to recreational and commercial fishing.
j. Potential impacts to cultural resources.
k. Cumulative impacts of future dredging and nourishment
activities.
3. Alternatives. Several alternatives are being considered for the
proposed project. These alternatives, including the No Action
alternative, were further formulated and developed during the scoping
process and are considered in the DEIS. A summary of alternatives under
consideration are provided below:
Alternative 1: No-Action (includes component of
Status-Quo)
Alternative 2: Retreat
Alternative 3: Beach Nourishment/Disposal With
Existing Sand Tube Groinfield To Remain in Place
Alternative 4: Beach Nourishment/Beach Disposal and
Sand Tube Groinfield Removal
Alternative 5: Terminal Groin With Beach Nourishment/
Beach Disposal (Sand Tube Groinfield Remaining)
Alternative 6: Terminal Groin With Beach Nourishment/
Disposal (Removal of Sand Tube Groinfield)
4. Scoping Process. Project Review Team meetings were held to
receive comments and assess concerns regarding the appropriate scope
and preparation of the DEIS. Federal, state, and local agencies and
other interested organizations and persons participated in these
Project Review Team meetings.
The Corps is also consulting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service under the Endangered Species Act and the Fish and Wildlife
Coordination Act, and with the National Marine Fisheries Service under
the Magnuson-Stevens Act and Endangered Species Act. Additionally, the
DEIS has assessed potential water quality impacts pursuant to Section
401 of the Clean Water Act, and is being coordinated with North
Carolina Division of Coastal Management (NCDCM) to determine the
project's consistency with the Coastal Zone Management Act and
permittability under State Coastal Management rules. The USACE has
worked with the NCDCM through the DEIS process to ensure the process
complies with all State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) requirements.
It is the Corps' and NCDCM's intentions to consolidate both National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and SEPA processes to eliminate
duplications.
5. Availability of the DEIS. The DEIS has been published and
circulated, and a public hearing will be held February 12, 2014 at the
International Longshoreman's Association Center, located at 211 West
10th Street in Southport, Brunswick County, North Carolina at 6 p.m.
Dated: December 30, 2013 .
Scott McLendon,
Chief, Regulatory Division.
[FR Doc. 2014-00262 Filed 1-9-14; 8:45 am]
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