[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 230 (Monday, November 30, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76544-76545]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26343]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Notification of Study Termination and Withdrawal of Notice of 
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the San 
Francisco Bay to Stockton, California Navigation Study

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

ACTION: Notice of intent; withdrawal.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is issuing this 
notice to advise Federal, State and local governmental agencies and the 
public that USACE is terminating the San Francisco Bay to Stockton, 
California Navigation Study and withdrawing its Notice of Intent (NOI) 
to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for said study.

DATES: The current NOI to prepare an EIS, published in the Federal 
Register on December 4, 2017, indicated the reduction in scope of this 
project (to include only Pinole Shoal and the Bull's Head Reach portion 
of the Suisan Bay) from the original NOI that was published on March 4, 
2016. Notice for the final report was published in the Federal Register 
on March 6, 2020.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, South Atlantic Division, 60

[[Page 76545]]

Forsyth Street Southwest, Atlanta, GA 30303.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Deborah Scerno at (404) 562-5227 
or email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The USACE prepared a draft and final 
Integrated General Reevaluation Report (GRR) and Environmental Impact 
Statement. The study area was a 13.2 mile length from Central San 
Francisco Bay to Avon (just east of the Benicia-Martinez Bridge), 
including the Pinole Shoal Channel, and the Bulls Head Reach portion of 
the Suisun Bay Channel. The channels in the study area are authorized 
to a depth of up to -45 feet mean lower low water (MLLW) but are 
currently only maintained to -35 feet MLLW. The recommended plan would 
have deepened the existing maintained channel depth of the Pinole Shoal 
Channel and the Bulls Head Reach portion of the Suisun Bay Channel from 
-35 feet MLLW to -38 feet MLLW (approximately 13.2 miles). A 2,600 
foot[hyphen]long sediment trap (width of 300 feet) would be constructed 
at Bulls Head Reach (between stations 62+00 and 88+00) to a depth of -
42 feet MLLW, plus 2 feet of overdepth. In addition, the rock 
obstruction located to the west of Pinole Shoal would be modified from 
a peak of -39.7 feet MLLW to -43 feet MLLW. The Port of Stockton had 
been serving as the non-federal partner for the GRR/EIS; however on May 
7, 2020, the Port Indicated that they would be unable to act as the 
cost-sharing sponsor for project design and implementation owing to the 
lack of nexus between Port facilities and the area of proposed channel 
improvements. Contra Costa County also informed USACE that they were 
unable to act as a cost-sharing sponsor for project design and 
implementation. Over the last few months, the USACE has confirmed that 
there is no other entity interested in supporting project 
implementation and consequently, the decision was made to terminate the 
study.

    Dated: November 23, 2020.
Jason E. Kelly,
Colonel, U.S. Army, Commanding.
[FR Doc. 2020-26343 Filed 11-27-20; 8:45 am]
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