Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Long-Term Dredged Material Management at St. Joseph Harbor, MI

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Corps of Engineers

Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)

for Long-Term Dredged Material Management at St. Joseph Harbor, MI

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

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact

Statement (DEIS).

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

evaluating the environmental impacts of long-term dredged material

management alternatives for St. Joseph Harbor, Michigan. The Federal

navigation project includes 7,700 feet of channel with authorized

depths from 18 to 21 feet. Sandy material dredged from the outer harbor

is used for beach nourishment--a beneficial use that restores eroding

beaches in the harbor vicinity. Beach nourishment continues to be an

effective, beneficial long-term dredged material management tool for

the outer harbor. The inner harbor dredged material, which is silty,

traditionally has been placed at various upland sites; however, these

sites are either full or no longer available. Thus, a 20-year long-term

dredged material management plan is being developed for the inner

harbor. Alternatives under consideration include open-water placement,

new upland placement sites, and beneficial use. The no Federal action

alternative will also be considered.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action

and DEIS can be directed to Mr. Les E. Weigum, Chief, Environmental

Analysis Branch; Engineering & Planning Division; U.S. Army Engineer

District, Detroit; P.O. Box 1027; Detroit, Michigan 48231-1027.

Telephone 313-226-6752.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: St. Joseph Harbor lies along the southeast

shore of Lake Michigan, about 60 miles east-northeast from Chicago,

Illinois. The harbor is formed by the lower reaches of the St. Joseph

River, which flows between the cities of St. Joseph, Michigan, on the

south, and Benton Harbor, Michigan, on the north. The cities of St.

Joseph and Benton Harbor have several deep-draft facilities at the

harbor. The harbor has several commercial wharves handling coal,

building materials, petroleum products, and miscellaneous commodities.

St. Joseph Harbor is also used by a variety of recreational craft,

including several charter fishing boats.

The Federal navigation project at St. Joseph, including operation

and maintenance activities, is authorized by the River and Harbor Act

of March 3, 1875, and subsequent acts. The project includes a channel,

with an authorized depth of 21 feet, extending 6,900 feet up the St.

Joseph River from Lake Michigan to the mouth of the Paw Paw River, and

varying in width from 265 feet at the channel entrance to 110 feet at

the Paw Paw River. The channel extends an additional 800 feet up the

Benton Harbor Canal to Riverview Drive, with an authorized depth of 18

feet and a width of 80 feet. Two 18-foot deep turning basins lie on

either side of the channel near the mouth of the Paw Paw River.

Dredged material management for St. Joseph Harbor historically has

consisted of two strategies: The outer harbor material, which is

primarily sand, is used to nourish adjacent eroding beaches; whereas

the inner harbor material, which contains silt, has been placed at

various upland sites for final storage or beneficial use. Maintenance

dredging of the outer harbor, which includes the entrance canal from

Lake Michigan through the breakwaters and

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revetments to approximately the Coast Guard station (about 2,800 feet),

is projected to require management of 350,000 cubic yards of dredged

material over the next 20 years. This material would continue to be

beneficially used for nourishment of eroding beaches in the harbor

vicinity.

The inner harbor material, which is silty, is dewatered at an

interim site (Whirlpool site) and later trucked to various upland sites

for final storage or beneficial use. Previously used upland sites are

either full or no longer available. Maintenance dredging of the inner

harbor is projected to require management of 300,000 cubic yards of

dredged material over the next 20 years. Therefore, the U.S. Army Corps

of Engineers, Detroit District, is evaluating the environmental impacts

of new long-term dredged material management alternatives for dredged

material from the inner harbor. The environmental evaluation will be

coordinated with the development of a 20-year Dredged Material

Management Plan for the harbor.

Two specific dredged material management alternatives have been

identified: Placement at an upland site at the Southwest Michigan

Regional Airport in Benton Harbor, Michigan, and placement at a

previously used (1970s and early 1980s) open-water site. Beneficial use

applications will also be explored. The no Federal action alternative

will be considered and will serve as a baseline from which to measure

the impacts of the action alternatives. The final 20-year management

plan may consist of a combination of alternatives and beneficial use

applications.

The upland site lies between the airport and the Paw Paw River,

extending about 3,000 feet along an embankment at the western runway

end. The site extends from the top of the bank, about 550 feet toward

the river, with a change in elevation of over 30 feet. The site

includes trees, shrubs, and open grassy areas. Below the site is a

marshy area that borders the Paw Paw River. Dredged material placement

would avoid the marsh areas, if possible. Dredged material placement at

the airport site may include beneficial use by providing fill to build-

up the area beyond the end of the runway, which would accommodate the

development of a runway safety area.

The open-water site is an area, approximately \1/2\-mile by \1/2\-

mile, located on the bottom of Lake Michigan, about 1\1/4\ miles due

west from the north pier light. The site has sufficient water depth

(approximately 50 feet) to prevent significant disturbance of the

dredged material by wind and storm induced wave action in the lake.

Dredged material would be transported directly from the dredging

operation to the open water site by floating plant (such as a barge or

a bottom dumping dredge), hydraulic pipeline, or other similar methods.

The suitability of the dredged material for open-water placement will

be determined in accordance with the Great Lakes Dredged Material

Testing and Evaluation Manual (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1994), which presents testing and

evaluation guidance for proposed discharges of dredged material into

the waters of the United States within the Great Lakes Basin.

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 dredged material management plan alternatives 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 management plan will be coordinated

with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality,

the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Michigan State Historic

Preservation Office, and local and regional Indian tribes.

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

private organizations and parties are invited to participate in the

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

directed to the address given above. It is anticipated that the Draft

Environmental Impact Statement would be made available in February 1998

for a 45-day public review period. During the public review period, the

Corps of Engineers and the local project sponsor would hold a public

meeting in the St. Joseph Harbor vicinity.

Dated: August 16, 1996.

Thomas C. Haid,

Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, District Engineer.

[FR Doc. 96-22079 Filed 8-28-96; 8:45 am]

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