[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 52 (Friday, March 17, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 13818]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-2603]



[[Page 13818]]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of The Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a 
Proposed Dredged Material Management Plan for Cleveland Harbor, OH

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 as implemented by the Council on 
Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508) and Public 
Law 102-484 Section 2834, as amended by Public Law 104-106 Section 
2867, the Department of the Army hereby gives notice of intent to 
prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the subject 
Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP). The Buffalo District of the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be the lead agency in preparing the 
EIS.
    The EIS will consider Federal actions associated with the 
development of a DMMP for the Federal harbor in the city of Cleveland, 
Cuyahoga County, OH. The DMMP is a study conducted to develop a long-
term (20-year) strategy for providing viable dredged material placement 
alternatives that would meet the needs of maintaining the Federal 
channels at Cleveland Harbor. The overall goal of the DMMP is to 
develop a plan to maintain channels necessary for commercial navigation 
within Cleveland Harbor and to conduct dredged material placement in 
the most economically and environmentally sound manner, and maximize 
the use of dredged material as a beneficial resource.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Michael Asquith, Project Manager, 
Buffalo District, Corps of Engineers, CELRB-PM-PM, 1776 Niagara Street, 
Buffalo, NY 14207-3199, telephone (716) 879-4352, or Ms. Patti McKenna, 
NEPA Coordinator, Buffalo District, Corps of Engineers, 1776 Niagara 
Street, Buffalo, NY 14207-3199, Telephone: (716) 879-4367.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Cleveland Harbor is located on Lake Erie at 
the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. Included in the study area are the 
Outer Harbor and Cuyahoga River Channels. The harbor is protected by a 
breakwater system: an east breakwater (20,970 feet long), a west 
breakwater (6,048 feet long), and the east and west arrowhead 
breakwaters (each measuring 1,250 feet). Cleveland Harbor is dredged 
twice each year. The average dredging volume per year from 1998 through 
2005 is 305,000 cubic yards, which includes Federal and non-Federal 
dredging activities. In accordance with joint U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency (USEPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 
protocols contained in the Great Lakes Dredged Material Testing and 
Evaluating Manual (1998), all sediment dredged from Cleveland Harbor 
and Cuyahoga River Channels is unsuitable for open lake and nearshore 
placement. All dredged material is currently placed in a Confined 
Disposal Facility (CDF). Since the 1960s, five CDFs have been 
constructed at Cleveland Harbor (9, 10B, 12, 13, and 14). The current 
operational CDF (10B) is nearing design capacity. Planning efforts are 
underway for interim placement solutions at CDF 10B. However, to 
address long-term dredging and dredged material management needs, 
additional placement sites for dredged material disposal must also be 
made available.
    Proposed Action: In accordance with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
Regulation 1105-2-100, a DMMP is prepared for a Federal navigation 
project to ensure that maintenance dredging activities are performed in 
an environmentally acceptable manner, use sound engineering techniques, 
are economically warranted, and that sufficient confined disposal 
facilities are available for at least the next 20 years. The proposed 
DMMP will focus on the management of dredged material from maintaining 
Federal navigation channels at Cleveland Harbor, and will take into 
consideration non-Federal dredging projects permitted by the Buffalo 
District. The approved DMMP will be consistent with sound engineering 
practices and meet all Federal environmental compliance standards, 
including those established by the Clean Water Act. In addition, the 
DMMP will be consistent with State plans such as the Ohio Coastal Zone 
Management Program.
    Reasonable Alternatives: The alternatives for the DMMP will consist 
of an array of disposal and beneficial use options. It is Corps of 
Engineers planning policy to consider all practicable and relevant 
alternative management measures. Options for managing dredged material 
at Cleveland Harbor that are being considered include the following: 
(1) Open-lake Placement. To date, all sediment dredged from Cleveland 
Harbor and Cuyahoga River Channels is unsuitable for open lake 
placement; (2) Confined Disposal. Additional capacity would be created 
in one of the existing CDFs through adaptive management and/or the 
construction of internal dikes; (3) New Confined Disposal Facility. The 
construction of a new in-water CDF will also need to be evaluated. 
There are eight potential locations that are being assessed; (4) 
Beneficial Use. Dredged material would be transported to upland sites 
for use as cover or fill, with particular emphasis on the value of 
restoring or creating habitat; (5) Best Management Practices. Measures 
will be considered to reduce erosion and sedimentation within the 
watershed and consequently reduce harbor dredging needs; and (6) ``No 
Action''. No Federal action would be taken to address dredging needs at 
Cleveland Harbor. The EIS will address measures, alternatives and 
impacts to the selected or preferred alternative(s).
    Scoping Process: The Corps of Engineers invites affected Federal, 
State and local agencies, affected Native American tribes, and other 
interested organizations and individuals to participate in the 
development of the EIS. The Corps of Engineers anticipates conducting a 
public scoping meeting for this EIS in the summer of 2006. The exact 
date, time and location of this meeting has not yet been determined. 
This information will be publicized once the meeting arrangements have 
been made.
    The Draft EIS is currently scheduled to be available for public 
review in June 2007. The Final EIS is currently scheduled to be 
available for public review in January 2008.

Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 06-2603 Filed 3-16-06; 8:45 am]
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