[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 83 (Wednesday, April 30, 1997)] [Notices] [Page 23479] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 97-11151] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service Notice of Availability, Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), on behalf of the Department of the Interior and the State of New Hampshire, announces the release for public review of the draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (RP/EA) for the Coakley Landfill Superfund Site. The RP/EA describes the trustees' proposal to restore natural resources injured as a result of the release of hazardous substances from the Coakley Landfill. DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before May 30, 1997. ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the RP/EA may be made to: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New England Field Office, 22 Bridge Street, Unit #1, Concord, New Hampshire 03301. Written comments or materials regarding the RP/EA should be sent to the same address. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Molly B. Sperduto or Kenneth C. Carr, Environmental Contaminants Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 22 Bridge Street, Unit #1, Concord, New Hampshire 03301. Interested parties may also call (603) 225-1411 for further information. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Coakley Landfill Superfund Site, located in Greenland and North Hampton, New Hampshire, was an active landfill from 1972 until 1985. Contaminants associated with municipal and industrial wastes disposed of at the Site include volatile organic compounds, lead, mercury, zinc, aluminum, and nickel. As a result of contaminant releases from the Site, approximately 40 acres of adjacent wetland habitat were damaged. These wetlands were impaired due to food web contamination or the reduction and/or loss of their biological diversity and productivity. In turn, injury to wetland-dependent wildlife, primarily migratory birds, occurred. In 1995, the United States of America and the State of New Hampshire settled claims for natural resource damages associated with the Coakley Landfill Superfund Site under the authority of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980. The settlement proceeds will be used to compensate for injury, destruction, or loss of natural resources under trusteeship of the Department of the Interior and the State of New Hampshire. The RP/EA is being released in accordance with the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Regulations found at 15 CFR, part 990. It is intended to describe the trustees' proposals to restore natural resources injured as a result of releases of contaminants from the Site. The RP/EA describes a number of habitat restoration and protection alternatives and discusses the environmental consequences of each. Restoration efforts which have the greatest potential to restore wetlands and the services those wetlands provide to wetland-dependant wildlife are preferred. Opportunities to restore degraded salt marsh habitats are proposed. The trustees believe that the proposed actions will not have significant impacts on the quality of the physical, biological, and cultural environment. Interested members of the public are invited to review and comment on the RP/EA. Copies of the RP/EA are available for review at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's New England Field Office in Concord, New Hampshire (22 Bridge Street, Unit #1, Concord, New Hampshire). Additionally, the RP/EA will be available for review at the North Hampton Public Library. Written comments will be considered and addressed in the final RP/EA at the conclusion of the restoration planning process. Author: The primary author of this notice is Ms. Molly B. Sperduto, New England Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 22 Bridge Street, Unit #1, Concord, New Hampshire 03301. Authority: The authority for this action is the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended (``CERCLA''), 42 U.S.C. Dated: April 17, 1997. Cathy Short, Acting Regional Director, Region 5, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. [FR Doc. 97-11151 Filed 4-29-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-55-M