[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 108 (Thursday, June 5, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33685-33687]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-14158]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a General Reevaluation Report and Draft 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Poplar Island 
Environmental Restoration Project, Talbot County, MD

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA), the Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is 
initiating a General Reevaluation Report (GRR) and Draft Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) to evaluate the potential for 
additional expansion of the Poplar Island Environmental Restoration 
Project (PIERP), located in the Chesapeake Bay in Talbot County, 
Maryland. A DSEIS will be integrated into the GRR to document existing 
conditions, proposed project actions, and potential project effects and 
products. The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), under the 
auspices of the Maryland Port Administration (MPA), is the non-Federal 
sponsor for this GRR and DSEIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
and DSEIS can be addressed to Ms. Gwen Meyer, Study Team Leader, 
Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CENAB-PL-P, 
P.O. Box 1715, Baltimore, MD 21203-1715, telephone (410) 962-9502. E-
mail address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    1. This GRR is being conducted under the existing PIERP 
authorization, section 537 of the Water Resources Development Act of 
1996 (WRDA96). Certain proposed project modifications may be able to be 
implemented without further Congressional authorization, subject to 
section 902 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 (WRDA86), 
which limits cost increases in authorized projects to 20 percent.

[[Page 33686]]

Other proposed project modifications may require Congressional 
authorization.
    2. The group of islands known as Poplar Island are located in 
Talbot County, Maryland, in the upper-middle portion of the Chesapeake 
Bay, 34 nautical miles south-southeast of Baltimore Harbor, and one 
mile northwest of Tilghman Island. Poplar Island has been identified by 
the U.S. fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Maryland Department of 
Natural Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, and other 
resource agencies as a valuable nesting and nursery area for many 
species of wildlife, including bald eagles, osprey, heron, egrets, and 
least terns.
    The PIERP was developed through cooperative efforts of the Corps, 
MPA, and many other Federal, State and local agencies, public and 
private organizations, and the general public. The PIERP reconstructed 
the island to its approximately 1847 footprint. The Maryland 
Environmental Service (MES) completed environmental and technical 
reconnaissance-level studies at Poplar Island. The PIERP was studied by 
the Corps under the authority of section 204 of WRDA 1992. Section 204 
provides authority for the Corps to implement projects for the 
protection, restoration, and creation of aquatic and ecologically 
related habitats, including wetlands, in connection with the 
construction, operation, or maintenance of an authorized Federal 
navigation project. A feasibility report and Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) were completed in February 1996. The feasibility report 
was approved by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works on 
September 4, 1996. The environmental restoration project, through the 
beneficial use of dredged material, was approved for construction under 
section 537 of WRDA96. See section 3, paragraph D, below for sources of 
this dredged material.
    The PIERP containment dikes were constructed in three stages. Phase 
I included construction of the northern 640 acres contained by sand 
dikes, construction of rock reefs at the northern end of the project, 
construction of a rock breakwater between Poplar Island and Coaches 
Island and construction of geotextile tube breakwaters along the 
southwest side of Coaches Island as protection until Phase II. Phase I 
was completed in March 2000. Phase II included dike construction to 
contain the southern 500 acres and was completed in February 2002. 
Phase III construction raised the dikes in Cell No. 2, the northern 
upland cell, from an initial elevation of 10 feet mean lower low water 
(MLLW), to an elevation of 20 feet MLLW. Raising of the dikes in Cell 
Nos. 2 and 6 to the authorized elevation of 23 feet will be 
accomplished in future phases. To date, approximately 8 million cubic 
yards (mcy) of dredged material has been placed at Poplar Island in the 
Phase I area.
    The current project design includes development of half of the land 
area as wetlands (570 acres) with the remaining portion as upland 
habitat (570 acres). Of the wetlands, 80 percent are being developed as 
low marsh and 20 percent as high marsh (456 acres low marsh, 114 acres 
high marsh). Small upland islands, ponds, and dendritic guts or 
channels will be created to increase habitat diversity within the marsh 
areas. It is expected that habitat diversity will be increased in the 
upland areas by the construction of small ponds and providing for areas 
of native forest, open shrub and native grasses.
    The original project at Poplar Island was envisioned for 
construction during a 24-year period through the placement of up to 2 
mcy of dredged material per year. The actual dredged material placement 
at Poplar Island has increased beyond planned levels due to the 
continued need to improve and to maintain the Chesapeake Bay approach 
channels to the Port of Baltimore and the restrictions of other 
placement options.
    The proposed PIERP expansion would increase the dredged material 
capacity of the island and add further environmental and possibly 
recreational features at the facility.
    3. The GRR is a decision document that will comply with NEPA 
through supplemental documentation to the existing Poplar Island EIS. 
An integrated Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) 
addressing raising the dikes above the authorized height of 23 feet and 
the proposed footprint expansion alternatives will be prepared. If 
during the study period it is determined that an EIS is not needed to 
comply with NEPA, an Environmental Assessment (EA) would be prepared 
instead. The Corps, Baltimore District proposes that the Poplar Island 
Expansion general reevaluation study further investigate and fully 
evaluate solutions to expand the placement capacity at Poplar Island by 
dike raising in the upland cells of the island and/or expanding the 
footprint with additional enhancements. The report will therefore 
consider the following:
    a. Dike Raising--The study will evaluate raising the upland cell 
dikes (Cell Nos. 2 and 6) above the authorized height of 23 feet MLLW) 
at Poplar Island to an unspecified elevation to be determined during 
the study. This modification is not expected to change the beneficial 
use of the project. This alternative may increase placement capacity by 
10 to 20 million cubic yards or more depending on the final elevation.
    b. Expansion of the Existing Footprint--Expanding the footprint of 
the island to increase the placement capacity of the island as well as 
adding additional environmental benefits to the project will be 
studied. Proposed alignments will consider potential expansion along 
the northeastern side of the island and southern side of the island. 
All alignments would increase dredged material capacity and add 
environmental habitat. The northeastern alignment would also provide 
increased protection to Poplar Harbor and Jefferson Island.
    The Talbot County government requested that Poplar Island expansion 
investigations include recreation and education opportunities at the 
island. Features of this type may include, but are not limited to 
recreational beach creation, hiking trails, educational facilities, 
bird watching, camping, and other passive recreation. The study will 
determine whether such features could be incorporated into the design 
of the island without compromising the restoration goals and intent of 
the project. Issues to be addressed include transportation to and from 
the island (and the impacts thereof) and providing facilities that 
allow for minimal human impact to environmentally sensitive areas. 
These issues will be coordinated extensively with interested agencies.
    c. Environmental Enhancements--Poplar Harbor--To the east of the 
Poplar Island project is Poplar Island. This area is protected from the 
wave energy of the open Chesapeake Bay by the project to the west, 
Coaches Island to the south, and Jefferson Island to the north. One of 
the goals of the project is to facilitate the return of submerged 
aquatic vegetation (SAV) within the harbor by protecting the harbor and 
providing quiescent shallow water habitat. Efforts should be made to 
maximize this restoration potential through further protection of the 
northern side of the harbor. Expansion of the footprint could be 
designed to accomplish this goal, but if that is not considered 
feasible, other structural means (breakwaters, jetty, etc.) should be 
considered.
    Jefferson Island--Jefferson Island was one of the remaining 
remnants of Poplar Island that existed prior to the restoration 
project. The project does not incorporate Jefferson Island into the

[[Page 33687]]

footprint. Jefferson Island is toward the northern end of Poplar Harbor 
and acts as a barrier to protect the harbor from waves and currents 
from the north. Restoration of Poplar Island does not protect the east 
side of Jefferson Island from continued erosion. The continued erosion 
of the island not only threatens to remove important protection of the 
harbor, but it also adds sediment to the water column that could hinder 
the re-colonization of SAV in the harbor. For these reasons, protection 
of Jefferson Island may be warranted and should be considered in the 
GRR.
    Terrapin habitat--The diamondback terrapin is an important species 
in the Chesapeake ecosystem. It requires remote, sandy beaches to lay 
eggs. Such habitat is becoming increasingly scare in the Chesapeake Bay 
due to human development and activities, sea-level rise and erosion. In 
the spring and summer of 2002, dozens of terrapins nested on the dikes 
at Poplar Island resulting in the tagging and release of over 500 
hatched terrapins back into the Bay. This experience has proven that 
the island is well situated and isolated enough for terrapin habitat. 
As part of the GRR study, new features will be considered at the island 
to enhance terrapin habitat, such as creation of non-recreational sandy 
beaches.
    d. Acceptance of Dredged Material from other Channels at Poplar 
Island--The original Poplar Island project is limited to accepting only 
material from certain outer Bay channel reaches (the Craighill Entrance 
Channel, Craighill Channel, Craighill Angle, Craighill Upper Range, 
Cutoff Angle, Brewerton Channel Eastern Extension, Tolchester Channel, 
and Swan Point Channel). Dredged material from the channels north of 
the Tolchester Channel (the southern approach channels to the 
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal) is currently placed at the Pooles Island 
open water placement site. State of Maryland law requires this site to 
close by 2010, thereby leaving those channels with insufficient 
capacity until a new facility is developed. Also to be considered is 
the acceptability of material from State and local dredging projects 
for placement at Poplar Island. It is unlikely that the quantities of 
material that may be generated from such projects would have much 
impact in the overall operation and capacity of the island. This GRR 
will investigate sediment quality and environmental considerations 
before recommending that the material from these channels be accepted 
at Poplar Island. While the established criteria of determining dredged 
material acceptability at Poplar Island will not change, a modification 
to include fill material from additional channels may require 
additional authorization and will require an amendment to the existing 
Project Cooperation Agreement with the non-Federal sponsor.
    4. The decision to implement these actions will be based on an 
evaluation of the probable impact of the proposed activities on the 
public interest. That decision will reflect the national concern for 
both protection and utilization of important resources. The benefit, 
which reasonably may be expected to accrue from the proposal, will be 
balanced against its reasonably foreseeable costs. The Baltimore 
District is preparing a DSEIS, which will describe the impacts of the 
proposed projects on environmental and cultural resources in the study 
area and on the overall public interest. The DSEIS will be prepared in 
accordance with NEPA and will document all factors which may be 
relevant to the proposal, including the cumulative effects thereof. 
Among these factors are habitat restoration, channel and erosion 
control, improvements to water quality, storm water management, 
conservation, economics, energy needs, general environmental concerns, 
fish and wildlife values, wetlands, historic and cultural values, 
navigation, shoreline erosion and accretion, flood hazards, flood plain 
values, land use, recreation, safety, food production, and, in general, 
the needs and welfare of the people. The work will not be accomplished 
unless it is found to be in the public interest. If applicable, the 
DSEIS will also apply guidelines issued by the Environmental Protection 
Agency, under the authority of section 404(b)(1) of the Clean Water Act 
of 1977 (Pub. L. 95-217).
    5. Public involvement activities for the study will include 
workshops, meetings, and other coordination with interested private 
individuals and organizations, as well as with concerned Federal, 
state, and local agencies, the Poplar Island Working Group, and the 
State's Dredged Material Management Plan Citizen's Advisory Group. 
Coordination letters and newsletters have been sent to appropriate 
agencies, organizations, and individuals on an extensive mailing list. 
Additional public information will be provided through print media, 
mailings, radio and television announcements.
    6. In addition to the Corps, Talbot County, and the MPA, other 
participants that will be involved in the study and DSEIS process 
include the following: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; USFWS; 
National Marine Fisheries Service; U.S. Forest Service; U.S. Geological 
Survey; Natural Resource Conservation Service and the Maryland 
Departments of Natural Resources and the Environment. The Baltimore 
District invites potentially affected Federal, state, and local 
agencies, and other organizations and entities to participate in this 
study.
    7. The Poplar Island GRR and integrated DSEIS are tentatively 
scheduled for public review in November 2004.

Luz D. Ortiz,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 03-14158 Filed 6-4-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-41-M