[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 131 (Wednesday, July 9, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36780-36781]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-17912]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army
Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplement III to the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Manteo (Shallowbag) Bay 
Project, Dare County, NC

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The navigation improvements being proposed are necessary to 
provide safe and reliable navigation through Oregon Inlet and are 
essentially the same as those previously coordinated, consisting of 
twin jetties at Oregon Inlet (with sand bypassing) and improvements to 
navigation channels to Wanchese, North Carolina. Supplement III will 
discuss recent changes in the design of the project and present refined 
impact analyses, which have been conducted since the circulation of 
Supplement II in 1985. On February 27, 1991, the NOI to prepare the 
Draft Supplement III to thee FEIS appeared in the Federal Register. Due 
to funding and scheduling problems, the Draft Supplement III to the 
FEIS was not prepared at the time.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions about the proposed action and Draft Supplement III to the 
FEIS can be answered by: Mr. William F. Adams, Environmental Resources 
Section; U.S. Army Engineer District, Wilmington; Post Office Box 1890; 
Wilmington,

[[Page 36781]]

North Carolina 28402-1890; telephone: (910) 251-4748.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Manteo (Shallowbag) Bay project was 
authorized in Public Law 91-611 (HD 303/91/2), December 31, 1970. The 
FEIS on the project was filed with EPA on April 20, 1979. The first 
Supplement to the FEIS was filed on November 7, 1980, and Supplement II 
to the FEIS was filed on July 5, 1985.
    1. The proposed project includes a dual jetty system at Oregon 
Inlet with sand bypassing. The jetties will be parallel, approximately 
3,500 feet apart, with the north jetty being approximately 11,450 feet 
long (4,000 feet comprising a shore anchorage section) and the south 
jetty being approximately 7,575 feet long (3,125 feet which consists of 
a terminal groin constructed by the North Carolina Department of 
Transportation in 1991). Navigation channels will also be improved. The 
ocean bar channel will be deepened from its current depth of 14 feet to 
20 feet at the existing width of 400 feet. The channels from Oregon 
Inlet to Wanchese, North Carolina, will be deepened and widened from 
their current dimensions of 12 feet deep and 100 feet wide to 14 feet 
deep and 120 feet wide.
    2. Alternatives to the project are variations in jetty design, 
alternative spacings, dredging the improved channel dimensions without 
the jetties, and no action (maintain existing navigation channel at 
current dimensions). Due to the difficulty in maintaining the existing 
navigation channel through the inlet, improving the channels without 
the jetties is considered to be impractical.
    3. Scoping for this project is ongoing. The scoping letter will be 
mailed to all known parties concurrent with the NOI. Other parties 
wishing to comment on this project are invited to do so at this time.
    a. Significant issues to be discussed in the upcoming supplement 
are information on potential impacts of the project on navigation, 
larval fish and shellfish migration through Oregon Inlet, cultural 
resources, endangered species, littoral sand transport, submerged 
aquatic vegetation, aesthetics, recreation, and future economic 
development of the region.
    b. The Department of the Interior is working with the Corps on the 
final design of the project.
    c. Additional coordination on endangered species and cultural 
resources is being undertaken during the final design of the project. 
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is preparing a Fish and Wildlife 
Coordination Act report. Results of these coordination efforts will be 
included in Supplement III.
    4. Because of the long history of this project, no formal scoping 
meetings are planned at this time. Responses to the scoping letter or 
this notice may result in coordination with individuals or agencies on 
an as needed basis to discuss certain issues.
    5. The Draft Supplement III to the FEIS is currently scheduled to 
be available in January 1998.
Gregory D. Showalter,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 97-17912 Filed 7-8-97; 8:45 am]
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