[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 13 (Friday, January 21, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3197-3198]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-1148]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6659-7]


Public Comment Requested on the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for Proposed Site Designation of the ``LA-3'' Ocean Dredged 
Material Disposal Site off Newport Bay, Orange County, CA

AGENCY: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers (USACE).

ACTION: Notice of Availability and request for public comment on a 
draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to designate ``LA-3'' as a 
permanent ocean dredged material disposal site (ODMDS) offshore of 
Newport Bay, California.

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    The EIS also re-evaluates an annual disposal volume limit for the 
existing LA-2 ODMDS offshore of the Los Angeles and Long Beach Harbors, 
and how to minimize cumulative environmental impacts from the two ODMDS 
in the region. EPA has the authority to designate ODMDS under Section 
102 of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) of 
1972 (33 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.). It is EPA's policy to prepare NEPA 
documents for all ODMDS designations (63 FR 58045, October 1998). The 
USACE, as a cooperating agency for this action, received Congressional 
appropriations to fund this site designation, and managed contracts for 
field studies and preparation of the draft EIS. Public comments on this 
draft EIS evaluation will be accepted for 45 days from the date of this 
notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND/OR TO SUBMIT COMMENTS, CONTACT: Mr. Allan 
Ota, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9, Dredging and 
Sediment Management Team (WTR-8), 75 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, 
California 94105-3901, Telephone: (415) 972-3476 or FAX: (415) 947-3537 
or E-mail: [email protected].

[[Page 3198]]

    Purpose: EPA requests public comments and intends to conduct public 
meetings to collect comments on the draft EIS. Copies of this draft EIS 
may be viewed at the following locations:
    1. Lloyd Taber-Marina del Rey Library, 4533 Admiralty Way, Marina 
del Rey, CA 90292.
    2. Long Beach Public Library, 101 Pacific Avenue, Long Beach, CA 
90822.
    3. Los Angeles Public Library, Central Library, 630 West 5th 
Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071.
    4. Los Angeles Public Library, San Pedro Regional Branch Library, 
931 South Gaffey Street, San Pedro, CA 90731.
    5. Newport Beach Public Library, Balboa Branch, 100 East Balboa 
Boulevard, Balboa, CA 92661.
    6. Newport Beach Public Library, Central Library, 1000 Avocado 
Avenue, Newport Beach, CA 92660.
    7. Newport Beach Public Library, Corona del Mar Branch, 420 
Marigold Avenue, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.
    8. Newport Beach Public Library, Mariners Branch, 2005 Dover Drive, 
Newport Beach, CA 92660.
    9. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Library, 75 Hawthorne 
Street, 13th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105.
    10. U.S. EPA, Southern California Field Office, 600 Wilshire 
Boulevard, Suite 1460, Los Angeles, CA 90017.
    11. U.S. EPA Web site: http://www.epa.gov/region9/.
    12. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Web site: http://www.spl.usace.army.mil.
SUMMARY: Dredging is essential for maintaining safe navigation in 
harbors and marinas in the Los Angeles County and Orange County region. 
Not all dredged materials are suitable for beneficial re-use (e.g., 
construction materials, wetlands restoration), and not all suitable 
materials can be deposited at the existing LA-2 ODMDS given costs and 
logistical constraints. The LA-3 ODMDS has been used for the disposal 
of dredged material by some Orange County projects in the past, but its 
``interim'' status has expired. Therefore there is a need to designate 
LA-3 as a permanent ODMDS. No actual disposal operations are authorized 
by this action; and disposal can only take place after a Federal permit 
is secured. Before ocean disposal may take place, dredging projects 
must demonstrate a need for ocean disposal and the proposed dredged 
material must be suitable (non-toxic) according to USEPA ocean dumping 
criteria. Alternatives, including the option for beneficial re-use of 
dredged material, will be evaluated for each permit. Both LA-3 and LA-2 
will be monitored periodically to ensure that each site operates as 
expected. This proposed site designation has been prepared pursuant to 
Section 102 of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act 
(MPRSA). The evaluation is based on EPA's general and specific 
criteria. Field studies, modeling of sediment dispersion following 
dredged material disposal under various scenarios, incompatible use 
areas, and economic considerations are included in the evaluation.
    The preferred alternative location for a permanent LA-3 ODMDS is 
about 4.5 nautical miles offshore of Newport Bay and in water depths 
ranging from 1,500 to 1,675 feet. It is 2,400 meters southeast of the 
``interim'' LA-3 site, and was determined to be the environmentally 
preferred location given its depth and stability. LA-3 will be managed 
regionally in conjunction with the existing LA-2 ODMDS. The preferred 
alternative in the draft EIS is to limit disposal of dredged material 
at the LA-3 ODMDS to a maximum of 2,500,000 cubic yards annually and to 
increase the maximum annual disposal limit at the LA-2 ODMDS to 
1,000,000 cubic yards of dredged material. The draft EIS contains an 
evaluation of potential impacts associated with the preferred 
alternative, other combinations of managing LA-3 and LA-2 jointly, and 
the No-Action alternative.
    Comments were received during the scoping comment period and four 
public scoping meetings were held at Los Angeles and Orange County 
locations in July 2003. Revisions were made to the draft EIS to address 
these comments.
    Public Meetings: EPA is requesting written comments on this draft 
EIS from federal, state, and local governments, industry, non-
governmental organizations, and the general public. Comments will be 
accepted for 45 days, beginning with the date of this Notice. Public 
meetings are scheduled at the following location and date:

--February 9, 2005, 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m., in Orange County at the 
Upper Newport Bay Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center, 2301 
University Drive, Newport Beach, California 92660 (corner of University 
Drive and Irvine Avenue).

    Responsible Official: Wayne Nastri, Regional Administrator 
Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9.

    Dated: January 12, 2005.
Anne Norton Miller,
Director, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 05-1148 Filed 1-19-05; 8:45 am]
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