[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 15 (Monday, January 25, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3688-3689]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-1570]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 
for Waukegan Harbor, Lake County, Illinois as Part of the Comprehensive 
Dredging Management Plan (CDMP)

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District maintains 
Waukegan Harbor, a Federally authorized, commercial deep-draft 
navigation project on Lake Michigan. Maintenance dredging has not been 
performed on inner portions of the harbor since 1971, due to elevated 
levels of contaminants in the sediment, particularly polychlorinated 
biphenyls (PCBs) and lack of an acceptable disposal site for 
confinement of these sediments. Sediment in the outermost portion of 
the Federal Channel beyond the breakwater, is clean, does not require 
confined disposal and has been dredged routinely since completion of 
the harbor.
    The Chicago District has been working closely with the Illinois 
Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency (USEPA), The Waukegan Port District, and the Waukegan 
Citizen's Advisory Group (CAG) to develop a Comprehensive Dredging 
Management Plan for Waukengan Harbor. The plan has three primary 
objectives: (1) re-establish a regular maintenance dredging program for 
the inner harbor area; (2) deepen the navigation channels to 
accommodate more economical, deeper draft vessels; and (3) clean-up all 
contaminated unconsolidated sediment within the harbor. Approximately 
550,000 cubic yards of sediments need to be removed from the harbor to 
meet these objectives. The EIS will evaluate sediment removal, 
transport, and disposal and management alternatives developed as part 
of the Waukegan Harbor CDMP.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Phil Moy, EIS Coordinator (312) 
353-6400 extension 2021 or Ms. Joan Albert, Project Manager, (312) 353-
6400 extension 2004; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District; 
111 North

[[Page 3689]]

Canal Street; Chicago, Illinois 60606-7206.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background

    Prior to 1969, sediment dredged from the Federal Channel was placed 
at an open-lake location. The discovery of elevated levels of 
contaminants has prohibited maintenance dredging and authorized 
expansion and deepening of the Federal Channel. Due to the lack of 
maintenance dredging, channel depth in some parts of the harbor has 
been reduced by as much as ten feet.
    Due to the presence of PCBs in the sediment, Waukegan Harbor was 
designated as one of the Great Lake's Areas of Concern in 1981. State 
are required to prepare a Remedial Action Plan (RAP) for Great Lakes 
Areas of Concerns. The Waukegan Citizen's Advisory Group has been 
actively involved in the RAP process with the IEPA.
    The PCB contamination originated in discharges primarily attributed 
to the Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC). Under the Federal Superfund 
authority, the USEPA and OMC developed a plan to cleanup the most 
severely PCB-contaminated sediment (>50 parts per million (ppm)); the 
cleanup was complete in 1993. Prior to completion of the cleanup, the 
maximum PCB concentration in the Federal Channel was 33.5 ppm. Today 
the maximum concentration of PCBs in the Federal Channel is 10.9, with 
an average of about 3.4 ppm.

2. Alternatives

    The EIS will consider the potential impacts of alternatives for 
dredging and disposal of contaminated sediment removed from the inner 
areas of the harbor. These will include various means of dredging and 
sediment transport to the proposed disposal sites. Alternatives for 
deepening and ongoing maintenance of the Federal Channel will also be 
evaluated. The EIS will evaluate management alternatives for clean 
sediment dredged from the approach channel.
    Current laws and environmental policies require that contaminated 
dredged material be confined or receive special treatment. Contaminated 
sediment can be placed at an approved commercial landfill or in a 
confined disposal facility (CDF) constructed for the harbor. Over 15 
potential CDF sites for the Waukegan Harbor sediment were evaluated in 
a 1984 Study. Though several of the sites met the economic, technical, 
and environmental standards, lack of a nonFederal project sponsor or 
public support prevented the plan from oving forward to approval and 
implementation.
    One of the original sites, a 17-acre, in-lake location south of 
Waukegan Harbor remains under consideration. Through cooperative 
efforts of the Waukegan CAG, and Federal and State agencies, a new 
upland site has been identified for consideration: an existing 33-acre 
industrial lagoon on the Johns-Manville property two miles north of the 
harbor.
    It is anticipated that once the sediment cleanup is complete, new 
sediment that accumulates in the harbor would not require confined 
disposal. Therefore, any CDF constructed for the harbor cleanup would 
be capped and closed upon completion of the project.

3. Scoping Process

    As part of the EIS process, a public scoping meeting will be held 
early in 1999. Public participation is an important part of the 
environmental analysis by providing assistance in determining the scope 
of issues to be addressed and identifying the significant issues of the 
proposed actions. Federal, State, and local resources agencies, Native 
American groups and concerned interest groups/individuals are 
encouraged to participate in this process. Time and location of the 
scoping meeting will be widely publicized through fliers, announcements 
and news releases. Those wishing to provide information or data they 
feel should be included or considered in the Environmental Impact 
Statement should furnish the information by writing to the points of 
contact indicated above or by attending the scoping meeting.
Mary V. Yonts,
Alternate Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-1570 Filed 1-22-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-HN-M