Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Proposed Section 204 Habitat Restoration Project at Poplar Island in Talbot County, MD

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)

for the Proposed Section 204 Habitat Restoration Project at Poplar

Island in Talbot County, MD

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

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The Baltimore District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is

investigating the use of dredged material to restore Poplar Island. The

project would restore Poplar Island to its approximate size in 1857,

thereby adding approximately 1,000 acres of wildlife habitat in the

Upper Chesapeake Bay. The project would use approximately 10 to 40

million cubic yards of clean material, dredged primarily from the

southern approach channels to Baltimore Harbor. The amount of material

placed at the site would depend on the final design, including the

island size and shape, and the relative proportions of upland and

wetland habitat constructed on the island. Dredged material would be

placed behind dikes at the site, then shaped and planted to create both

intertidal wetland and upland wildlife habitat. The feasibility study

is being conducted under the authority of Section 204 of the Water

Resources Development Act of 1992. The potential non-Federal sponsor

for the project is the Maryland Port Administration (MPA), a part of

the Maryland Department of Transportation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions about the proposed action and DEIS can be addressed to Ms.

Stacey Brown, Project Manager, Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers, ATTN: CENAB-PL-PC, P.O. Box 1715, Baltimore, Maryland 21203-

1715, telephone (410) 962-3639.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. The project will be constructed under Section 204 of the Water

Resources Development Act of 1992, which allows Federal funding for the

protection, restoration, and creation of aquatic and ecologically

related [[Page 7523]] habitats, including wetlands, in connection with

dredging for construction, operation, or maintenance of an authorized

Federal navigation project.

2. Poplar Island is located on the Eastern Shore of the upper

Chesapeake Bay, about one mile northwest of Tilghman Island, in Talbot

County, Maryland. The present complex consists of four small remnant

islands with a combined area of approximately 5 acres. The island has

steadily eroded over time; in 1857 the island covered an area of

approximately 1,000 acres; the remaining small islands are in danger of

completely eroding within the next few years.

3. The project would restore Poplar Island to the approximate size

and footprint of the island in 1857. The proposed project actions

include the placement of approximately 10 to 40 million cubic yards of

clean dredged material behind dikes at the site. The amount of material

to be placed would depend partly on the relative proportions of upland

and wetland habitat created. The material would be primarily dredged

during maintenance of the southern approach channels to Baltimore

Harbor. After placement, the material would be shaped and planted to

create both intertidal wetland and upland wildlife habitat. Poplar

Island has been identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the

Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and other natural Resources

management agencies as a valuable nesting and nursery area for many

species of wildlife, including bald eagles, osprey, heron, and egret.

4. Expected project benefits include the creation of wetland and

upland wildlife habitat, stabilization of the rapidly eroding island

remnants, and beneficial use of dredged material from Federal

navigation channel maintenance activities. A project pre-feasibility

report (similar to a Corps of Enegineers Reconnaissance report) was

completed by the Maryland Port Administration (MPA) in 1993.

5. Various alternative designs and projects size will be considered

including the ``no action'' alternative. Alternatives to be considered

will include variations such as the size and location of the placement

area; dike configuration and construction materials; site capacity; and

the relative proportions and locations on the island of wetland and

upland habitat.

6. The Baltimore District is preparing a DEIS which will describe

the impacts of the proposed projects on environmental and cultural

resources in the study area and the overall public interest. The DEIS

will also apply guidances issued by the Environmental Protection

Agency, under authority of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act of 1977

(Pub. L. 95-217). Potential effects of the project on water quality,

fish and wildlife resources, recreation, aesthetics, cultural, and

other resources will be investigated.

7. The public involvement program will include meetings and

coordination with interested private individuals and organizations, as

well as concerned Federal, state, and local agencies. A public notice

requesting comments on the proposed project amd a coordination letter

have been sent to appropriate agencies, organizations, and individuals.

Additional public information will be provided through printed media,

mailings, and radio or television announcements. Two scoping meetings,

identical in format, will be held at 7:00 p.m. on 21 February 1995 at

Tilghman Elementary School, Tilghman, Maryland, and on 23 February

1995, at Beach Elementary School, in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. Two

meetings will be held to provide equal opportunities for residents on

both the Eastern Shore and the west side of the Chesapeake Bay to take

part in the public involvement program.

8. In addition to the Corps and the Maryland Port Administration,

current participants in the DEIS process include, but are not limited

to, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, Maryland Department of

Natural Resources, Maryland Department of the Environment, and the

Maryland Port Administration. The Baltimore District invites

potentially affected Federal, state and local agencies, and other

interested organizations and parties to participate in this study.

AVAILABILITY: The DEIS is tentatively scheduled to be available for

public review in September of 1995.

Kenneth L. Denton,

Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 95-3082 Filed 2-7-95; 8:45 am]

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