[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 12, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 11419]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-6156]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Corps of Engineers


Availability of the Environmental Assessment for the Limited 
Reevaluation Study for Deepening of the Kill Van Kull and Newark Bay 
Navigation Channels

AGENCY: Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: A Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Kill Van 
Kull and Newark Bay Channel Deepening Project was prepared and the 
project was authorized in the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 1985. 
A decision was made to deepen the channels in two phases and a 
Supplemental EIS was prepared to address disposal and sediment 
contamination issues and finalized in 1987. Phase I, the deepening to 
-40 feet mean low water (MLW) has been completed. The U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers, New York District has prepared an Environmental 
Assessment (EA) for the Phase II deepening of the channels to their 
authorized depth of -45 feet MLW. The proposed project extends from the 
confluence of the Kill Van Kull and Anchorage Channels to Station 
139+20N, the northern edge of the Port Elizabeth reach, approximately 
eight miles. The non-federal sponsor prefers to defer portions of the 
original project including the Port Newark Channel, and a portion of 
the Newark Bay Channel north of Station 139+20N. This segment was 
included in the economic, engineering, and environmental analyses, but 
is not being recommended for construction at this time. The New York 
District has initiated a Limited Reevaluation Study to reaffirm the 
recommended plan. An EA is being prepared to update the NEPA process.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For more information regarding this notice, please contact Ms. Mary M. 
Browning, ATTN: CENAN-PL-EA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York 
District, 26 Federal Plaza, New York, NY 10278-0090, or phone (212) 
264-2198.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Kill Van Kull and Newark Bay is a 
component of the Hudson-Raritan Estuarine System which lies below the 
confluence of the Hackensack and Passaic Rivers. The channel is 
situated between New Jersey and Staten Island, New York, and is 
northwest of the Upper Bay of New York Harbor.
    Currently, navigation in the project area is severely constrained. 
The existing depth of the Kill Van Kull and Newark Bay Channels are not 
sufficient to allow the safe and efficient passage of fully loaded 
container and liquid bulk (tankers) vessels still willing to call on 
terminals in the channel. The current mode of operation calls for 
tankers to lighter-off in anchorages and enter the Kill Van Kull and 
Newark Bay Channels during high tides. Container ships calling on 
terminals must be loaded to less than their design capacities at their 
home ports and sail without a full load. This is inefficient, costly, 
and results in unnecessary navigational and environmental risks. 
Deepening the channels to their authorized depth of -45 feet MLW will 
provide for more economically efficient and safe utilization of these 
channels by vessels with drafts greater than 40 feet.
Gregory D. Showalter,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 97-6156 Filed 3-11-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-06-M