[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 10, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-11206]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 10, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Disposal of Dredged Materials in San Diego Bay, San Diego, CA

    Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) of 1969 as implemented by the Council on Environmental 
Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the Department of the 
Navy announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the disposal of dredged materials in San Diego Bay, San 
Diego, California.
    Several dredging projects are proposed by the Navy in the central 
portion of San Diego Bay. Maintenance dredging is required for 
maintaining existing channels and berthing areas. Pier 2 and Pier 3 
dredging projects will provide additional safe navigational and 
berthing depth for deep draft power intensive ships which will be 
homeported in San Diego Bay through Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 
at naval stations in Long Beach and the San Francisco Bay area, and 
ships which are planned for construction.
    Approximately half of the dredged materials are expected to contain 
contaminated sediments which may be restrained from disposing them in 
the ocean. These sediments have accumulated in the bay bottom either 
from urban-industrial source runoff upstream from San Diego Bay, or 
potentially from past pier-side maintenance activities. Determination 
of appropriate processes and locations for placement of dredged 
contaminated sediments and their effect on the regional environment 
will be evaluated in the EIS.
    Disposal alternatives for dredged contaminated sediments currently 
identified for consideration in the EIS are: (1) Placement in a 
confined location capped with clean materials, such as sand or clay, 
inside San Diego Bay; (2) placement with capping in areas such as the 
Seventh Street Channel (Paleta Creek) to create or enhance biological 
habitat; (3) placement behind bulkheads in bay waters such as Paleta 
Creak to create ``fastland'' or reclaimed land; (4) placement at a 
confined upland location such as sites on Naval Station, San Diego or 
Naval Air Station North Island for dewatering and drying; and (5) 
placement of contaminated sediments in either non-hazardous waste 
landfills (if treated or ``remediated'' to remove hazardous components) 
or hazardous waste landfills (if not remediated).
    Environmental issues which will be discussed in the EIS include: 
Methods of dredging and disposal; biological impacts resulting from 
dredging and sediment disposal; geological impacts caused by dredging; 
air quality impacts from dredging equipment operations and disposal 
activity; hydrological and water quality impacts from dredging and 
disposal; treatment technologies; aesthetics, cultural resources, and 
health and safety impacts. Issue analysis will include an evaluation of 
direct, indirect, short-term, long-term, and cumulative impacts 
associated with the proposed action. The decision to implement the 
proposed action or any alternatives to the proposed action will not be 
made until the NEPA process is complete.
    The Navy will initiate a scoping process for the purpose of 
determining the scope of issues to be addressed and for identifying 
significant issues relative to this action. The Navy will hold a public 
scoping meeting on Thursday, 26 May, 1994, beginning at 7 p.m. at the 
Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest Division, 1220 Pacific 
Highway, San Diego, California. This meeting will be advertised in San 
Diego area newspapers.
    A formal presentation will precede public testimony. Navy 
representatives will be available at the scoping meeting to receive 
comments from the public. It is important that federal, state, and 
local agencies, as well as interested individuals, take this 
opportunity to identify environmental concerns that should be addressed 
during the preparation of the EIS. In the interest of available time, 
each speaker will be asked to limit their oral comments to five 
minutes.
    Agencies and the public are also invited and encouraged to provide 
written comments in addition to, or in lieu of, oral comments at the 
public meeting. To be most helpful, scoping comments should clearly 
describe specific issues or topics that the EIS should address. Written 
statements and/or questions regarding the scoping process should be 
mailed no later than 13 June 1994 to: Commanding Officer, Southwest 
Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 1220 Pacific Highway, 
San Diego, CA 92132-5190 (Attn: Ms. Sherry Ashbaugh, Code 232.SA), 
telephone (619) 532-1159.

    Dated: May 5, 1994.
Lewis T. Booker, Jr.,
LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 94-11206 Filed 5-9-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-AE-M