[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 11, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11876-11877]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-6206]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Availability for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Ocean City, MD, and Vicinity Water Resources Feasibility Study at Ocean 
City, in Worcester County, MD

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

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District, Maryland 
Department of Natural Resources, the National Park Service (Assateague 
Island National Seashore), Worcester County, and the Town of Ocean 
City, project sponsors, have prepared a Draft Integrated Ocean City, 
Maryland, and Vicinity Water Resources Feasibility Study and 
Environmental Impact Statement. The study proposes solutions to several 
interrelated water resources problems in Ocean City, Maryland. The 
study area includes Ocean City and Assateague Island, adjacent coastal 
bays and nearshore waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and Maryland mainland 
areas within the coastal watershed boundary. The Feasibility Study 
includes four separate components, which present solutions for four 
different water-related problems in the Maryland coastal bay area. The 
components include (a) the short-term restoration of the northern end 
of Assateague Island, (b) long-term sand management for Assateague 
Island and Ocean City, (c) navigation improvements to the Ocean City 
harbor and inlet, and (d) restoration of terrestrial and aquatic 
habitat. A Draft Integrated Interim Report and Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS) for the Short-Term Restoration of Assateague Island, 
component (a), was published for review and comment by agencies and the 
public in May 1997, in order to expedite construction. The Interim 
Report addressed only the component of the study dealing with the 
short-term restoration of the northern end of Assateague Island. 
Although it was reviewed separately, the Interim Report is part of the 
overall Ocean City, Maryland, and Vicinity Water Resources Study. The 
Draft Feasibility Report and EIS currently available for review and 
comment include full information on the three study components not 
covered in the Interim Report (long-term sand management, restoration 
of terrestrial and aquatic habitat, and navigation improvements), as 
well as summary information on the previous Interim Report for short-
term restoration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
and DEIS can be addressed to Ms. Michele A. Bistany, Study Team Leader, 
Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CENAB-PL-PD, PO 
Box 1715, Baltimore, Maryland 21203-1715, telephone 410-962-4934. E-
mail address: [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    1. The decision to implement this action is being based on an 
evaluation of the probable impact of proposed activities on the public 
interest. The decision will reflect the National concern for both 
protection and utilization of important resources.
    The benefits that reasonably may be expected to accrue from the 
proposed project are being balanced against its reasonably foreseeable 
detriments. All factors that may be relevant to the proposed actions, 
including the cumulative effects thereof, are being considered; among 
these factors are economics, aesthetics, general environmental 
concerns, wetlands, cultural values, flood hazards, fish and wildlife 
values, flood plain values, land use, recreation, water supply and 
conservation, water quality, energy needs, safety, food and fiber 
production, and the general needs and welfare of the people.
    2. The four components of the study include the following:
    (a) The short-term restoration plan for the northern end of 
Assateague Island was developed because of the endangered condition of 
the island. The sediment-starved condition of Assateague Island was 
partially caused by construction of the Ocean City inlet jetties, which 
disrupted the sediment flow between Ocean City and Assateague and re-
routed a large portion of sand that would otherwise have reached 
Assateague. This disruption in the natural longshore transport of 
sediment has caused adverse physical, biological, and economic impacts, 
particularly to the northern 6.2 miles of the island. Complete data on 
the short-term restoration is presented in the Interim Report, dated 
May 1997, and a summary is presented in the current document. The 
short-term plan involves placing approximately 1.8 million cubic yards 
of sand to construct a low berm and widen the island between 1.6 miles 
and 7 miles south of the inlet. The berm will be configured to minimize 
impacts to Piping Plovers, a threatened species, and restore the 
integrity of the island. The sources of material to be placed on 
Assateague Island are Great Gull Bank, an offshore shoal, and possibly 
a small portion of the ebb shoal at the mouth of the inlet. The 
estimated cost for the short-term restoration is $17,200,000. The 
short-term project will be Federally funded.
    (b) The long-term sand management of Assateague Island and Ocean 
City, Maryland, was developed to manage the sand flow in and around the 
inlet that separates Ocean City and Assateague Island. The project 
would supply approximately 189,000 cy of sand to Assateague Island 
annually. This is the approximate amount of sand that would naturally 
have reached the island if the jetties and inlet did not exist. The 
recommended plan would use a shallow-water hopper dredge for ``mobile 
bypassing'' on an annual basis. Material would be removed from 
locations where it has been deposited by currents in and around the 
inlet and then bypassed to the north end of Assateague Island. The 
material would

[[Page 11877]]

be placed in a way that mimics natural processes and the project would 
be monitored annually to minimize negative impacts and maximize 
benefits of the project. A small amount of sand, on the order of 20,000 
cy, may also be ``back-passed'' to Ocean City as needed for highly 
erosive sections of the beach. The estimated annual cost for the long-
term restoration is $1,100,000. The Federal and local sponsor cost 
shares for this component are still being determined.
    (c) Navigation improvements to the harbor and inlet include 
deepening the harbor channel from 10 feet to a depth of 14 feet and 
deepening the inlet channel from 10 feet to a depth of 16 feet. 
Material dredged from the channels during construction and maintenance 
of the channel will be used in the long-term sand management component 
of the project, and may be used in the environmental restoration 
component of the project, described below. The estimated cost for the 
navigation improvements component is $1,672,200. The Federal and local 
sponsor cost shares for this component are 80 percent Federal and 20 
percent local.
    (d) The recommended environmental restoration plan includes 
restoring salt marsh at the Isle of Wight Wildlife Management Area, 
located along Route 90, and restoring 8.5 acres of salt marsh at Ocean 
Pines, located on the mainland shore of Isle of Wight Bay. The eroding 
South Point Island, located in the northern end of Chincoteague Bay, 
would be stabilized to its 3-acre size in 1997, and a vegetated 3-acre 
island created in proximity to the existing South Point Island. A 6-
acre island, of which 3 acres will be planted salt marsh, would be 
constructed in the vicinity of Dog Island Shoals, located at the 
southern end of Isle of Wight Bay. The estimated cost for the 
environmental restoration component is $5,418,200. This project is 
being pursued under the authority of Section 206 of the Water Resources 
Development Act of 1996. Cost shares for Section 206 Environmental 
Restoration projects are 65 percent Federal and 35 percent local
    3. The DEIS describes the impacts of the proposed project on 
environmental and cultural resources in the study area. The DEIS also 
applies guidelines issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, under 
authority of the Clean Water Act of 1977 (PL 95-217). An evaluation of 
the proposed actions on the waters of the United States was performed 
pursuant to the guidelines of the Administrator, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, under authority of Section 404 of the Clean Water 
Act. The proposed dredging, construction, and placement of dredged 
material are in compliance with Section 404(b)(1) guidelines. This 
project will help restore one of the few remaining functioning barrier 
islands on the Atlantic coast, which includes the Assateague Island 
National Seashore; restore lost salt marsh and island habitat for 
aquatic creatures and colonial waterbirds; and protect habitat for 
Brown Pelicans. It will also improve navigation through the Ocean City 
harbor and inlet and will help alleviate the shoaling problems in the 
coastal bays.
    4. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and the 
Clean Water Act, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is soliciting 
comments from the public and from Federal, state, and local agencies 
and officials, as well as other interested parties. Any comments 
received will be considered in the decision to implement the project. 
To make this decision, comments are considered to assess impacts on 
endangered species, historic projects, water quality, general 
environmental effects, and other public interest factors listed above.
    5. A public meeting will be held on April 8, 1998, at 6:30 p.m. at 
the Ocean City Elementary School. The purpose of the meeting will be to 
give individuals and groups the opportunity to comment, orally and/or 
in writing, on the environmental, social, and economic impacts of the 
proposed actions (recommended plan) as presented in the DEIS. The DEIS 
findings will be reviewed at the public meeting, and comments regarding 
the proposed project will be incorporated into the Full Environmental 
Impact Statement. The 45-day public review and comment period for the 
draft feasibility study and DEIS will be from March 13, 1998, to April 
27, 1998 and written comments received during that time will be 
incorporated into the Final EIS as required by NEPA.
    6. This Notice of Availability is being sent to organizations and 
individuals known to have an interest in the proposed restoration. 
Please bring this notice to the attention of any other individuals with 
an interest in this matter. Copies of the Draft Interim and Feasibility 
Reports and the Environmental Impact Statements are available for 
review at the following locations:

(a) Eastern Shore Area Library, 122 So. Division St., Salisbury, MD
(b) Worcester County Library, Snow Hill Branch, 207 No. Washington St., 
Snow Hill, MD
(c) Eastern Shore Public Library, 23610 Front St., Accomac, VA
(d) Worcester County Library, Ocean City Branch, 14th St. and Coastal 
Highway, Ocean City, MD
(e) Enoch Pratt Free Library, 400 Cathedral St., Baltimore, MD
(f) Assateague Island National Seashore, Route 611, 7206 National 
Seashore Lane, Berlin, MD

    7. Requests for copies of the DEIS may be mailed to the following 
address: District Engineer, ATTN: CENAB-PL-PR, U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Baltimore District, PO Box 1715, Baltimore, MD 21203-1715. 
Telephone 410-962-4934, or 1-800-295-1610. E-mail address: 
[email protected]
James F. Johnson,
Chief, Planning Division.
[FR Doc. 98-6206 Filed 3-10-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-41-M