Intent To Reopen Scoping for an Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed Facilities for Homeporting Up to Three Future Replacement Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carriers at Naval Air Station, North Island, San Diego, CA

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Intent To Reopen Scoping for an Environmental Impact Statement

for Proposed Facilities for Homeporting Up to Three Future Replacement

Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carriers at Naval Air Station, North Island, San

Diego, CA

Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy

Act of 1969 as implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality

regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the Department of the Navy

announces its intent to reopen scoping for an Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) for homeporting up to three future replacement NIMITZ-

class aircraft carriers at Naval Air Station (NAS), North Island, San

Diego, California.

Dredging requirements for the proposed project have changed since

the Notice of Intent (NOI) and Public Scoping Meeting of August 17,

1993, held in Coronado, California. In August 1993, the scope of the

EIS was identified to include dredging the pier areas, the turning

basin, and its approach. The purpose of this notice is to identify that

the scope of the EIS will include dredging the San Diego Bay channel to

a depth greater than the existing -42 feet Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW).

NIMITZ-class aircraft carriers are heavier and draw a deeper draft

than the aircraft carriers currently homeported at Naval Air Station

(NAS) North Island; therefore, to meet operational considerations, the

San Diego Bay channel needs to be dredged to a depth greater than the

existing maintained depth of -42 feet MLLW. This requirement is in

addition to the dredging identified in the two previous public notices

of August 1993 and March 1994.

The maximum dredge depths being considered are -50 feet MLLW for

the channel between NAS North Island and Ballast Point and -55 feet

MLLW for the channel south of Ballast Point. The supporting technical

information for dredging the San Diego Bay channel, including dredge

depths, will be included in the EIS being prepared for this project.

In providing an opportunity to comment on this change in scope, the

anticipated time for having a Draft EIS available for your review and

comment is early October 1994 instead of July 1994.

For more information regarding this project, please call NAS North

Island Public Affairs Officer at (619) 545-8167. Please submit written

comments regarding this notice no later than July 18, 1994, to:

Commanding Officer, NAS North Island (Code 00B), P.O. Box 357033, San

Diego, CA 92135-7033.

Dated: June 9, 1994.

Lewis T. Booker, Jr.,

LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 94-14400 Filed 6-13-94; 8:45 am]

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