[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 15, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2690-2691]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-00633]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-NCR-GWMP-13704; PX.XGWMP0400.00.1]
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Dyke Marsh
Restoration and Long-term Management Plan, George Washington Memorial
Parkway, Virginia
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) announces the availability of
a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Dyke Marsh
Restoration and Long-term Management Plan at George Washington Memorial
Parkway, Virginia. The DEIS provides a systematic analysis of
alternatives for the restoration and long-term management of the tidal
freshwater marsh and other associated wetland habitats lost or impacted
in Dyke Marsh Preserve on the Potomac River.
DATES: The NPS will accept comments on the DEIS from the public for 60
days after the date that the Environmental Protection Agency publishes
the notice of availability of the DEIS in its regular Friday Federal
Register listing. A public meeting will be held during the review
period to facilitate the submission of public comment. Once scheduled,
the meeting date will be announced via the George Washington Memorial
Parkway Web site (http://www.nps.gov/gwmp/), the NPS's Planning
Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) Web site (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/gwmp), and a press release to area media.
ADDRESSES: The DEIS for the Dyke Marsh Restoration and Long-term
Management Plan will be available for public review online at the NPS's
PEPC Web site (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/GWMP). You may submit your
comments by any one of several methods. The preferred method of
commenting is via the Internet at (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/GWMP).
You may also mail comments to Dyke Marsh Restoration Plan, 700 George
Washington Memorial Parkway, Turkey Run Park Headquarters, McLean, VA
22101. Or, you may hand-deliver comments to 700 George Washington
Memorial Parkway, Turkey Run Park Headquarters, McLean, VA 22101.
Written comments will also be accepted at the public meeting. We will
not accept comments by fax, email, or in any other way than those
specified above. We will not accept bulk comments in any format (hard
copy or electronic) submitted on behalf of others. Before including
your address, phone number, email address, or other personal
identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your
entire comment--including your personal identifying information--may be
made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your
comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public
review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alex Romero, Superintendent, 700
George Washington Memorial Parkway, Turkey Run Park Headquarters,
McLean, VA 22101; telephone (703) 289-2500.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of this DEIS is to develop a
plan for the restoration and long-term management of the tidal
freshwater marsh and other associated wetland habitats lost or impacted
in Dyke Marsh Preserve on the Potomac River.
Dyke Marsh Preserve is one of the last large tracts of tidal
freshwater marsh along the Potomac River in the Washington, DC, area
and has existed for at least 2,200 years.
Located just south of Alexandria, Virginia, Dyke Marsh Preserve is
viewed as a national treasure because of its proximity to the Nation's
Capital and a large urban/suburban population, its history, and its
current potential for providing ecosystem services, recreational values
and educational opportunities. Despite continual degradation of the
existing marsh, it provides numerous natural benefits and services,
including resident and migratory wildlife habitat, refuge for state
species of concern, attenuation of tidal energy, shoreline
stabilization, flood control, and water quality enhancement.
The goal of the actions described in the DEIS is to restore areas
of Dyke Marsh that were previously impacted by dredging and erosion.
The park will re-establish soil elevations to sustain marsh plant
communities while preventing damage to vegetation in the existing
wetland. In the long-term, the project will provide additional wetlands
to the Potomac River watershed ecosystems, preserve the aesthetic and
natural values of Dyke Marsh and the George Washington Memorial
Parkway, and continue to offer recreational opportunities currently
available. Specific objectives of the plan are listed below.
Natural Resources. Dyke Marsh Restoration will protect and maintain
tidal freshwater wetlands and associated ecosystems to provide habitat
for fish, wildlife, and other biota. The park will ensure that
management actions promote native species while minimizing invasive
nonnative plants. The marsh restoration will reduce or eliminate
erosion of the existing marsh and, to the extent practicable, will
restore and maintain hydrologic processes needed to sustain the marsh.
The restored marsh will protect breeding populations of state species
of concern such as least bittern (Ixobrychus exilis), state critically
imperiled swamp sparrow (Meloxpiza georgiana ssp. georgiana, G5T5, S1B/
S4S5N), and state imperiled species such as river bulrush
(Bolboschoenus fluviatilis, G5S2). Finally, the restoration will
increase the resiliency of Dyke Marsh, provide a natural buffer to
storms, and help ameliorate flooding in populated residential areas.
Cultural Resources. The restoration will protect the historic
resources and cultural landscape features associated with Dyke Marsh
and the George Washington Memorial Parkway.
Visitor Experience will be enhanced through appropriate
educational, interpretation, and research opportunities at Dyke Marsh
and enhance access by diverse audiences.
The DEIS analyzes two action alternatives and the no action
alternative, as described below.
Alternative A: No Action--Under this alternative, there would be no
restoration. Current management of the marsh would continue, which
includes providing basic maintenance related to the Haul Road, control
of nonnative invasive plant species, ongoing interpretive and
environmental
[[Page 2691]]
education activities, scientific research projects, boundary marking,
and enforcement of existing regulations. There would be no manipulation
of the marsh other than emergency, safety-related, or limited
improvements or maintenance actions. The destabilized marsh would
continue to erode at an accelerated rate.
Alternative B: Hydrologic Restoration and Minimal Wetland
Restoration--Under alternative B, the focus is on the most essential
actions to reestablish hydrologic conditions that shield the marsh from
erosive currents and protect the Hog Island Gut channel and channel
wall. A breakwater structure would be constructed on the south end of
the marsh, in alignment with the northernmost extent of the historic
promontory, and wetlands would be restored to strategic areas where the
water is less than 4 feet deep. This alternative also includes fill of
some deep channel areas near the breakwater. The final element of this
alternative is the reestablishment of hydrologic connections to the
inland side of the Haul Road to restore bottomland swamp forest areas
that were cut off when the Haul Road was constructed. Approximately 30
acres west of the Haul Road could be influenced by tidal flows as a
result. These actions would not necessarily happen in any particular
order, and may be dictated by available funds. However, it is assumed
that the breakwater would be constructed first. This alternative would
create approximately 70 acres of various new wetland habitats and allow
the continued natural accretion of soils and establishment of wetlands
given the new hydrologic conditions.
Alternative C: Hydrologic Restoration and Fullest Possible Extent
of Wetland Restoration (NPS Preferred Alternative)--Under alternative
C, the marsh would be restored in a phased approach up to the historic
boundary of the marsh and other adjacent areas within NPS
jurisdictional boundaries. Phased restoration would continue until a
sustainable marsh is achieved and the overall goals of the project are
met. The historic boundaries lie between the historic promontory and
Dyke Island, the triangular island off the end of the Haul Road. The
outer edges of the containment cell structures would be placed at the
park boundary in the river.
The initial phase of this alternative would first establish a
breakwater structure at the southern alignment of the historic
promontory to provide immediate protection to Dyke Marsh from erosion.
After the breakwater is established, the deep channel areas north of
the historic promontory would be filled within the NPS boundary, and
the marsh would be restored to the 4-foot contour at strategic
locations to further reduce the risk of erosion and storm surges and
promote sedimentation within the existing marsh. Afterwards, two cells
would be constructed along the northern edge of the breakwater,
restoring the original extent of the promontory's land mass.
All subsequent phases would establish containment cells out no
further than the historic marsh boundary. The location of these cells
would be prioritized based on the most benefits the specific locations
could provide to the existing marsh. The timing of these subsequent
phases and the size and number of cells built during these phases would
be dependent upon available funds and materials.
In addition to the construction of containment cells, tidal guts
would be cut into the restored marsh area that would be similar to the
historical flow channels of the original marsh.
This alternative, like Alternative B, would also introduce breaks
in the Haul Road, returning tidal flows to approximately 30 acres west
of the Haul Road, which would help to re-establish the historic swamp
forest originally found on the site.
Additional wetland may be restored south of the new breakwater to
fill out the southernmost historic extent of the marsh. This area would
not be protected from storms, and would be one of the last features
implemented. In addition, the marsh restoration would extend north of
Dyke Island, and tidal guts would be created. This alternative contains
an optional restoration cell in the area currently serving as a mooring
area for the marina. Such an option would only be implemented should
the marina concession no longer be economically viable for the current
concessioner, and then only if no other concessioner expresses interest
in taking over the business, which would eliminate the need for the
mooring field. In total, under this alternative, approximately 245
acres of various wetland habitats could be created.
Dated: October 21, 2013.
Stephen E. Whitesell,
Regional Director, National Park Service, National Capital Region.
[FR Doc. 2014-00633 Filed 1-14-14; 8:45 am]
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