Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Dredged Material Placement at Duluth-Superior Harbor, Minnesota and Wisconsin

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Corps of Engineers

Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)

for Dredged Material Placement at Duluth-Superior Harbor, Minnesota and

Wisconsin

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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

evaluating the environmental impacts of dredged material placement

alternatives for maintenance dredging at Duluth-Superior Harbor,

Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Federal navigation project includes 17

miles of navigation channels, anchorage areas, and maneuvering basins,

with channel depths ranging from 20 to 27 feet. Existing dredged

material placement sites have insufficient capacity for future

maintenance dredging needs. Alternatives under consideration for future

dredged material placement include expansion of the existing Erie Pier

Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) by increasing the dike heights, other

diked in-water facilities, upland placement, habitat creation, and open

water disposal. The no Federal action alternative will also be

considered.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Army Engineer District,

Detroit, Environmental Analysis Branch, P.O. Box 1027; Detroit,

Michigan 48231-1027.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Duluth-Superior Harbor is located at the western end of Lake Superior

between Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin. The harbor is

formed by the waters of the St. Louis River, the second largest

tributary of Lake Superior. Approximately 113 docks or terminals at

Duluth-Superior Harbor handle a variety of commodities including iron

ore, coal, limestone, petroleum, steel and scrap iron, cement, general

cargo, and grain.

Maintenance dredging for the Federal project averages about 150,000

yards per year. Much of the dredged material is placed in the Erie Pier

CDF, which is located on approximately 82 acres along the northwest

shore of Duluth-Superior Harbor. The CDF was constructed in 1979 to

hold up to one million cubic yards of material dredged from the Federal

navigation project over a 10 year period. Clean sand dredged from the

outer parts of the harbor is generally used for beach nourishment to

mitigate the affects of beach erosion along the lake. [[Page 8224]]

Since 1988, a washing operation has been conducted at the Erie Pier

CDF to separate out the cleaner, coarse grained fraction of the dredged

materials for beneficial use. Through this operation, over a half-

million cubic yards of coarse grained material have been removed for

various beneficial uses, primarily construction projects. This has

helped extend the life of the Erie Pier CDF by several years.

Nonetheless, remaining capacity at the Erie Pier CDF is insufficient

for future dredged material placement needs.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, is therefore

evaluating the environmental impacts of several dredged material

placement alternatives for Duluth-Superior Harbor in coordination with

the development of a dredged material placement plan for the harbor.

Alternatives under consideration include expansion of the existing Erie

Pier CDF by increasing the dike heights, diked in-water facilities,

upland placement, habitat creation, and open water disposal. To date,

no viable sites for upland placement have been identified in the harbor

vicinity. The no Federal action alternative will also be considered and

will serve as a baseline from which to measure the impacts of the

action alternatives.

Possible sites for diked in-water facilities include: (1) A 25 acre

site in the embayment on the east side of Erie Pier, (2) an 18-acre

embayment and deep ship mooring area on the south side of the Duluth,

Missabe and Iron Range Railroad (DMIR) taconite storage facility (about

1 mile northeast from Erie Pier), and (3) 65 acres of the embayment on

the east side of the DMIR facility.

The Habitat Creation alternative focuses on the filling of existing

deep holes (which were created in the harbor by past mining activities)

with dredged material to an appropriate elevation for development of

shallow water fishery habitat. Sites under consideration include: (1)

The deep hole adjacent to Hearding Island in the outer harbor, and (2)

the Cross Channel deep hole, located in the inner harbor between

Interstate Island and the Cross Channel. Barrier islands would be

constructed to shelter the created fishery habitat from wave action and

to provide upland habitat for birds.

Significant issues to be analyzed include potential impacts on

wetlands, water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and cultural

resources. Social impacts, including impacts upon recreation,

aesthetics, and the local economy, will also be considered.

The proposed actions will be reviewed for compliance with the Fish

and Wildlife Act of 1956; the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of

1958; the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966; the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969; the Clean Air Act of 1970; the

Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972; the Endangered Species Act of

1973; the Water Resources Development Act of 1976; the Clean Water Act

of 1977 Executive Order 11593, Protection and Enhancement of the

Cultural Environment, May 1971, Executive Order 11988, Flood Plain

Management, May 1977; Executive Order 11990, Wetland Protection, May

1977; and Corps of Engineers, Dept. of the Army, 33 CFR Part 230,

Environmental Quality: Policy and Procedure for Implementing NEPA.

The proposed dredged material placement is being coordinated with

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Minnesota Department of

Natural Resources. Coordination will also be initiated with the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, the Minnesota Pollution Control

Agency, the Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office, the Bureau of

Indian Affairs, local and regional Indian tribes, and other interested

agencies and individuals.

A public information meeting was held on November 19, 1994,

sponsored by the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, in conjunction with the

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Minnesota Pollution

Control Agency, and the Harbor Technical Advisory Committee of the

Duluth-Superior Metropolitan Interstate Committee. The purpose of the

meeting was to inform the local residents and other interested

individuals and environmental groups of the deep hold/habitat creation

concept being investigated as a viable dredged material placement

alternative.

All Federal, state, and local agencies, Indian tribes, and other

private organization and parties are invited to participate in the

proposed project review. Questions, concerns, and comments may be

directed to the address given in this notice. During the DEIS public

comment period, a public meeting will be scheduled, if necessary. It is

anticipated that the DEIS would be available for public review in 1996.

Kenneth L. Denton,

Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 95-3553 Filed 2-10-95; 8:45 am]

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