[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 151 (Friday, August 7, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39698-39699]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-18871]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

 [ER-FRL-8939-9]


Public Comment Requested on the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Site Designation of an Ocean Dredged 
Material Disposal Site Offshore of Guam

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:  Notice.

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SUMMARY: Notice of Availability and request for public comment on a 
draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to designate a permanent 
ocean dredged material disposal site (ODMDS) off Apra Harbor, Guam. 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.). The U.S. Department of Navy, as a cooperating agency for 
this action, received Congressional appropriations to fund this site 
designation, and managed contracts for field studies identified by EPA 
for the preparation of the draft EIS.

DATES: Public comments on this draft EIS evaluation will be accepted 
until October 6, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments to: 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].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 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].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA requests public comments and intends to 
conduct a public meeting in Guam to collect comments on the draft EIS, 
titled ``Designation of an Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site 
Offshore of Guam''. Copies of this draft EIS may be viewed at the 
following locations:
    1. Guam EPA's Main Office, 17-3304 Mariner Avenue, Tiyan, Guam 
96913.
    2. Nieves M. Flores Memorial Public Library, 254 Martyr Street, 
Hagatna, Guam 96910.
    3. Barrigada Public Library, 177 San Roque Drive, Barrigada, Guam 
96913.
    4. Dededo Public Library, 283 West Santa Barbara Avenue, Dededo, 
Guam 96929.
    5. Maria R. Aguigui Memorial Library (Agat Public Library), 376 
Cruz Avenue, Guam 96915.
    6. Rosa Aguigui Reyes Memorial Library (Merizo Public Library), 376 
Cruz Avenue, Merizo, Guam 96915.
    7. Yona Public Library, 265 Sister Mary Eucharita Drive, Yona, Guam 
96915.
    8. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Library, 75 Hawthorne 
Street, 13th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105.
    9. U.S. EPA Web site: http://www.epa.gov/region9/.
    10. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Web site: http://www.poh.usace.army.mil.
    Background: Dredging is essential for maintaining safe navigation 
at port and naval facilities in Apra Harbor and other locations around 
Guam. Not all dredged materials are suitable for beneficial re-use 
(e.g., construction materials, landfill cover), and not all suitable 
materials can be used or can be stockpiled for future use given costs, 
logistical constraints, and capacity of existing land disposal sites. 
Therefore, there is a need to designate a permanent ODMDS offshore of 
Guam. No actual disposal operations are authorized by this action; and 
disposal can only take place after a Federal Corps 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 to ocean

[[Page 39699]]

disposal, including the option for beneficial re-use of dredged 
material, will be evaluated for each dredging project. The proposed 
ODMDS will be monitored periodically to ensure that the 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, constrained areas, 
and economic considerations are included in the evaluation. The draft 
EIS contains an evaluation of potential impacts associated with the two 
``Action'' alternatives, and the No-Action alternative. There are two 
alternative locations for a permanent ODMDS; either the North or 
Northwest alternative. The proposed North ODMDS is approximately 13.7 
nautical miles offshore of Outer Apra Harbor, and in water depths 
ranging from 6,560 and 7,710 feet. The proposed Northwest ODMDS is 
approximately 8.9 nautical miles offshore of Outer Apra Harbor, and in 
water depths ranging from 8,200 and 9,055 feet. There would be a 
maximum annual disposal limit of 1,000,000 cubic yards of dredged 
material for whichever site is chosen. Either location has been 
determined to be environmentally suitable given depth and stability; 
however the Northwest alternative is the preferred site. The proposed 
ODMDS will be managed by the USEPA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
(USACE) Honolulu District.
    Comments were received during the scoping comment period and a 
public scoping meeting was held at the Weston Resort Guam on December 
6, 2007. Revisions were made to the field sampling and data collection 
program (conducted in 2008) and to the analysis presented in the draft 
EIS to address these comments.
    Public Meeting: 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 60 days, beginning with the date of this Notice. A public 
meeting is scheduled at the following location and date--August 20, 
2009 6-8 p.m., at the Weston Resort Guam, 105 Gun Beach Road, Tumon, 
Guam. This meeting will consist of two parts--the first being an 
informational session, and the second a public hearing where the public 
may comment on the DEIS. Comments presented at the public hearing will 
be recorded and responded to in the Final EIS. If you require a 
reasonable accommodation for the public meeting, please contact Terisa 
Williams, EPA Region 9 Reasonable Accommodations Coordinator, at (415) 
972-3829 or [email protected].

    Dated: July 16, 2009.

    Responsible Official:
Laura Yoshii,
Acting Regional Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, Region 
9.
[FR Doc. E9-18871 Filed 8-6-09; 8:45 am]
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