[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 120 (Friday, June 21, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 37528]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-14725]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplement to the December 2009 Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Relocation of New River 
Inlet Ebb Tide Channel and the Placement of the Dredge Material Along 
11.1 Miles of Ocean Shoreline of North Topsail Beach in Onslow County, 
NC

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Wilmington District, 
Wilmington Regulatory Field Office has received a request for 
Department of the Army (DA) authorization, pursuant to Section 404 of 
the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbor Act, from 
the Town of North Topsail Beach to modify their original May 27, 2011 
DA authorization to relocate the New River Inlet ebb tide channel and 
to place dredge material along 11.1 miles of oceanfront shoreline in 
(5) phases over an eight to nine year timeframe. Additionally, the 
authorization permits up to a maximum of (7) maintenance events within 
the relocated ebb tide channel, which is equivalent to a maximum of one 
maintenance event every 4 years until authorization expires on December 
31, 2041. The main purpose of the project is to provide short and long-
term protection of the Town's infrastructure. The proposed modification 
request includes the consolidation of Phases II-V into one phase (in a 
single dredging event), the utilization of a hopper dredge, an increase 
of beach fill density in the original Phase V footprint, the inclusion 
of an additional borrow source, and the extension of dredging outside 
the permitted dredge window.

DATES: Written comments will be received until July 22, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Copies of comments and questions regarding the Draft 
Supplement to the FEIS may be submitted to: U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Wilmington District, Regulatory Division. ATTN: File Number 
205-00344 (ORM 2004-00344), 69 Darlington Avenue, Wilmington, 
NC 28403.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
and Supplement to the EIS can be directed to Mr. Mickey Sugg, Project 
Manager, Wilmington Regulatory Field Office, at telephone (910) 251-
4811; email [email protected] ; or regular mail at (see 
ADDRESSES).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    1. Proposed Action. Between November 26, 2012 and February 9, 2013, 
the Town of North Topsail Beach implemented Phase I of their 
authorization, which encompassed the relocation of the New River Inlet 
ebb tide channel by use of a cutter head dredge and the placement of 
the dredged material along approximately 1.5 miles of the island's 
northeast end. Upon the completion of Phase I, the Town has reevaluated 
its financial status and seeks to modify their DA authorization. A key 
component in the modification request is to combine Phases II-V. This 
would replace the current multi-nourishment cycle within the remaining 
9.6 miles with a one-time nourishment event constructed during a single 
dredging window. The proposal also requests that dredging be allowed 
outside the November 16-March 31 dredge window to extend their 
operation to April 30, and that the dredging operation include the use 
of hopper dredge plants. The Town seeks to include a new borrow source, 
DA143, which is an upland disposal island located near the intersection 
of New River and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Historically, DA 
143 has been used by USACE as a disposal area during maintenance 
dredging of nearby federal navigation channels. It is estimated that 
the disposal island contains approximately 1.9 million cubic yards of 
material, which will be short of the approximate 2.6 million cubic 
yards needed for the 9.6 miles of ocean front nourishment. With this 
short fall of beach fill, the remaining material will be dredged from 
the existing permitted off-shore borrow source. The 2.6 million cubic 
yards of material includes the Town's modification plans to increase 
the original fill density of Phase V from 25.2 cubic yards/linear foot 
to a range of 57-132 cubic yards/linear foot.
    2. Scoping Process. a. The USACE will reinitiate consultation with 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act and 
the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act; with the National Marine 
Fisheries Service under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act and the Endangered Species Act; and with the North 
Carolina State Historic Preservation Office under the National Historic 
Preservation Act. Additionally, the USACE will coordinate the FEIS 
Supplement with the North Carolina Division of Water Quality (NCDWQ) to 
assess the potential water quality impacts pursuant to Section 401 of 
the Clean Water Act, and with the North Carolina Division of Coastal 
Management (NCDCM) to determine the projects consistency with the 
Coastal Zone Management Act. The USACE will closely work with NCDCM and 
NCDWQ in the development of the Supplement to ensure the process 
complies with all State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) requirements. 
It is the intention of both the USACE and the State of North Carolina 
to consolidate the NEPA and SEPA processes thereby eliminating 
duplication.
    b. A 45-day public review period will be provided for all 
interested parties, individuals, and agencies to review and comment on 
the Draft Supplement to the FEIS when released.
    3. Availability of the Supplement to the EIS. The Draft Supplement 
is expected to be published and circulated the summer of 2013.

    Dated: June 12, 2013.
Scott McLendon,
Chief, Regulatory Division.
[FR Doc. 2013-14725 Filed 6-20-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P