[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 63 (Monday, April 3, 1995)] [Notices] [Pages 16862-16863] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 95-8063] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Record of Decision to Dispose Solid Waste Generated at Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, NC Pursuant to section 102(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, and the Council of Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the Department of the Navy announces its decision to dispose non-hazardous solid waste generated at Marine Corps Base (MCB), Camp Lejeune, North Carolina at an on-base facility that will comply with state and Federal Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle D regulations on solid waste disposal. The new facility will be a multi-celled, double lined landfill with leachate collection. The location of the facility will be a 170 acre site located at MCB Camp Lejeune along the east side of Piney Green Road. The paving of Piney Green Road and the construction of an entrance road, operations building with scales, and waste transport truck steam wash building will provide the necessary support facilities for the landfill. A Material Recovery Facility to process and house recyclable solid waste, a smaller separate landfill for disposal of non-hazardous construction and demolition debris, and a composting facility for the processing of yard waste will also be constructed and operated as funding becomes available. The landfill will be constructed and operated one cell at a time in order to minimize operational costs and maximize the ability to adjust landfill operations to changes in regulatory requirements. The landfill site will accommodate multiple cells based on projected cell size and regulatory requirements. Alternatives evaluated during the solid waste disposal study process included no action; construction and operation of an on-base incinerator, construction and operation of an on-base energy plant; and hauling solid waste off-base for disposal in municipal or private facilities. Eleven on-base sites were evaluated for the placement of the on-base alternatives. The no action alternative was rejected early in the study process due to the increased potential for adverse environmental impacts from the continued use of an unlined landfill and the violation of state and Federal laws associated with disposal of solid waste. The on-base incinerator and waste to energy plant had the highest capital costs of the alternatives studied. Except for air quality and ash disposal, environmental impacts would be minor for these alternatives. Both air quality and ash disposal would increase operating cost of these alternatives. With the continuing efforts of MCB Camp Lejeune to reduce and recycle its waste stream, the cost per ton to operate these plants would continue to increase. The prospect of increasing annual operating costs, reduced waste stream, and the need for a hazardous waste landfill for ash disposal significantly reduced the viability of these alternatives and weighed heavily in the elimination of these alternatives from further consideration. [[Page 16863]] Off-base alternatives, such as private waste disposal facilities and municipal landfills, were rejected due to the long hauling distances involved, or because operators could not commit to accepting MCB Camp Lejeune solid waste for a sufficient period. Sites for on-base landfill and associated construction were evaluated against engineering and environmental criteria for suitability. The Piney Green Road site was chosen as the preferred site due to ease of construction, isolation from population centers, and minimization of adverse environmental impacts. The operation of the landfill and construction and demolition debris waste landfill at the Piney Green Road site will provide MCB Camp Lejeune with a system for non-hazardous solid waste disposal. As regulatory requirements demand more reduction and recycling of solid waste products, the life of this site will increase because less material will be placed in the landfill. The extension of the life of the landfill cannot be calculated at this time since changes in laws and regulations regarding solid waste are not known at this time. MCB Camp Lejeune currently has a program in place for source reduction of waste and recycling of waste materials. The recycling of waste materials could include the composting of wastewater sludge along with yard waste, wood waste, and other solid waste materials. This action will have no impact on ambient air quality or noise levels. No cultural resources listed, or determined eligible for listing, on the National Register of Historic Places will be impacted by any facility constructed for this project. No impacts to state or Federally listed endangered or threatened plant or animal species are expected from construction and operation of the landfill. Specific measures will be used to control soil movement from construction and operation activities. These measures will include fabric silt fencing, pervious barriers in drainage ways to reduce runoff velocities and retain sediments on site, and the seeding of open areas when construction activities have ceased at that location. The terrestrial habitat displaced by these facilities is currently used in part for training. No significant adverse effects to environmentally important habitats will occur. These effects have been minimized by the siting decision made during site evaluation and various studies. About two acres of wetlands are located on the 170 acre site, any impact to these wetlands will not occur until the need arises to open future cells of the landfill. Proper permits will be obtained and mitigation, as required, will be performed prior to disturbing these wetlands. The proposed action has been evaluated with the respect to environmental and social impacts, as well as access to public information and an opportunity for public participation in the NEPA process as required by Executive Order 12989, ``Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations.'' The landfill is consistent with the goals and provisions of the Executive Order. A Coastal Consistency Determination was prepared for this action and concluded that the action is being conducted in a manner consistent with the enforceable policies of the North Carolina Coastal Zone Management Plan. The North Carolina Division of Coastal Management concurs with this determination. Preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement began with a public scoping process to identify issues that should be addressed in the document. Involvement was offered through a public announcement of the Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement. This Notice was published in the Federal Register on April 29, 1992. Scoping letters were sent to 70 addresses. The Notice was also published in the Jacksonville Daily News and the Wilmington Star News on October 11-12, 1992. The Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement was published in the Federal Register on October 15, 1993. This document was distributed to officials of Federal, state, and local government agencies, citizen groups and associations, public libraries, and other interested parties. The public review period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement was from October 15, 1993 through November 29, 1993. A public hearing was held at the Jacksonville Senior High School, Jacksonville, North Carolina, on November 16, 1993. A small number of comments were received during the comment period. The comments centered on the alternative analysis, wetland impacts, and landfill design. These comments were addressed in the Final Environmental Impact Statement. The Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement was published in the Federal Register on December 16, 1994. This document was also distributed to officials of Federal, state, and local government agencies, citizen groups and associations, public libraries, and other interested parties. The Department of the Navy believes there are no outstanding issues to be resolved with respect to this project. Questions regarding the Environmental Impact Statement prepared for this action may be directed to Mr. Robert Warren, Environmental Management Department, MCB Camp Lejeune, NC 28542, telephone (910) 451-5003. March 27, 1995. Elsie L. Munsell, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Environmental and Safety). [FR Doc. 95-8063 Filed 3-31-95; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3810-FF-M