[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 6, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9934-9935]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-1007]



[[Page 9934]]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a 
Proposed Dredged Material Management Plan for Lorain 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 an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the subject Dredged 
Material Management Plan (DMMP). The Buffalo District of the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers (USACE) 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 at Lorain in Lorain 
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 
navigation channels at Lorain Harbor. The overall goal of the DMMP is 
to develop an economical and environmentally sustainable plan for 
maintaining channels necessary for commercial navigation at Lorain 
Harbor. The plan considers a range of management strategies including 
reduced dredging and the use of dredged material as a beneficial 
resource.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, CELRB-PM-PB, 
1776 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14207-3199.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Michele Hope, Project Manager, 
telephone (716) 879-4124, or Mr. William Butler, NEPA Coordinator, 
telephone: (716) 879-4268.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Lorain Harbor is a deep-draft commercial 
harbor located in Lorain County, OH that encompasses the lower three 
miles of the Black River and its mouth at Lake Erie. On average, the 
Federal channels at the harbor are dredged every two years. From 1979 
through 2005, all material dredged from the harbor was determined to be 
unsuitable for open-lake placement. Consequently, in 1979, under the 
authority of Section 123 of the River and Harbor Act of 1970, USACE 
completed construction of a confined disposal facility (CDF) for the 
placement of the material. At present, the harbor's existing CDF is 
currently filled to approximately 90 percent of its total capacity. As 
a short-term measure to accommodate anticipated dredging needs in 2008 
and 2010, the Corps of Engineers plans to conduct Operations and 
Maintenance activities that will consist of, among other things, the 
movement of material within the CDF to construct an interior berm 
within the facility in early 2007. This berm would increase the 
capacity of the facility to accept dredged material for another one or 
two dredging events. Additional berm-related work in 2009 and 2011 
would extend the capacity of the facility through 2013. However, to 
address long-term dredging and dredged material management needs into 
2014 and beyond, additional placement sites for dredged material must 
also be made available.
    Proposed Action In accordance with USACE Engineer 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 (CDF) are available for at least the next 20 years. The 
proposed DMMP will focus on the management of dredged material during 
normal maintenance of the Federal navigation channels at Lorain 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 Section 404 of the 
Clean Water Act. In addition, the DMMP will be consistent with State 
and local plans such as the Ohio Coastal Management Program and Black 
River Remedial Action Plan.
    Reasonable Alternatives: It is Corps of Engineers planning policy 
to consider all practicable and relevant alternative management 
measures. The alternative plans considered in the DMMP will consist of 
an array of placement and beneficial use measures. These measures have 
been combined into the following alternative plans for managing dredged 
material at Lorain Harbor: (1) Alternative Plan 1. This plan would 
involve the continued open-lake placement of suitable dredged material. 
Based on sediment quality analysis completed in 2002 and 2005, all 
Outer Harbor sediments and a small portion of the lower Black River 
Channel sediments were approved for unconfined open-lake placement. 
Preliminary evaluation of 2006 sediment quality data indicates that a 
major portion of the Black River Channel sediments also meet Federal 
guidelines for unconfined open-lake placement. This plan would also 
involve the continued implementation of the ongoing Fill Management 
Plan at the harbor's existing CDF. As a result of Operations and 
Maintenance activities, which would consist of the construction of a 
series of three interior berms, additional confinement capacity would 
be gained to extend the useful life of the facility through 2013. In 
addition, planning would continue for the completion of a new CDF by 
2914 that would have the capacity to confine dredged material through 
2026; (2) Alternative Plan 2. Under this plan, beneficial use options 
for the dredged material would be implemented. Beneficial uses could 
include the restoration of brownfield sites, bank stabilization, 
habitat creation, and agricultural field development. All material 
dredged from the harbor could either be transported and de-watered 
immediately as it is removed or excavated from the existing CDF and 
transported to the beneficial sites(s). As with Alternative 1, dredged 
material management and berm-related work would continue within the CDF 
through 2013 to maximize its confinement capacity; (3) Alternative Plan 
3. This plan is similar to Alternative Plan 2, except suitable dredged 
material would continue to be placed at the designated open-lake site; 
and (4) Alternative Plan 4. Under this plan, the Federal Government 
would do nothing to address the need for the future long-term placement 
of dredged material. At the point that the Fill Management Plan has 
been fully implemented (2014), no further dredging of the Federal 
navigation channels at Lorain Harbor would occur. With a lack of 
acceptable dredged material placement sites, no Federal action would be 
taken to address the recurring dredging needs at the harbor.
    Scoping Process: The Corps of Engineers invites affected Federal, 
State and local agencies, affected Indian tribes, and other interested 
organizations and individuals to participate in development of the EIS. 
The Corps of Engineers anticipates conducting a public scoping meeting 
for this EIS. The exact date, time and location of this meeting have 
not yet been set. This information will be

[[Page 9935]]

publicized once the meeting arrangements have been made.
    The Draft EIS is tentatively scheduled to be available for public 
review in September 2007.
    The Final EIS is tentatively scheduled to be available for public 
review in February 2008.

    Dated: February 16, 2007.
John S. Hurley,
Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Commander.
[FR Doc. 07-1007 Filed 3-5-07; 8:45 am]
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