Intent to Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Destination Broadwater Resort Facility, Located in Biloxi, Mississippi

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Corps of Engineers

Intent to Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the

Proposed Destination Broadwater Resort Facility, Located in Biloxi,

Mississippi

AGENCY: Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The Mobile District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps),

intends to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to

address the potential impacts associated with the construction of the

proposed Destination Broadwater resort facility to be located on the

Mississippi Sound, in Biloxi, Mississippi. The Corps will be evaluating

a permit application for the work under the authority of Section 10 of

the Rivers and Harbors Act and section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The

EIS will be used as a basis for the permit decision and to ensure

compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions about the proposed action and the DEIS should be addressed to

Mr. Bill Bunkley, Regulatory Branch, phone (334) 694-3780, or Dr. Susan

Rees, Coastal Environment Section, phone (334) 694-4141, Mobile

District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, PO Box 2288, Mobile, AL 36628.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 1. The permit applicant is proposing to

construct a resort complex which includes a mixture of 6 dockside

casinos, 12 hotels, various retail establishments, entertainment

facilities, golf course, and 400-slip marina. The project is to be

located at the existing Broadwater Resorts and President Casino site on

Beach Boulevard (U.S. Highway 90) in Biloxi, Mississippi. The overall

project site consists of approximately 325 acres which can be divided

into two distinct functional areas: waterside development south of

Highway 90 which will be used for dockside gaming and water-dependent

activities, and landside development north of Highway 90 which will

accommodate the non-gaming related activities. The waterside

development encompasses an area of 134 acres extending approximately

4,100 feet into the Mississippi Sound. A man-made peninsula will be

constructed to accommodate six floating casinos arranged around an

embayment. Adjacent to each dockside casino will be a 500-room hotel

and parking garage. A 400-slip marina is planned on the southernmost

end of the project. The proposed landside development is located on

approximately 47 acres north of Highway 90 currently occupied by the

Broadwater Beach Resort and Broadwater Resort East hotels. The proposed

redevelopment of this area includes the construction of 6 convention-

oriented hotels (up to 3,250 rooms), a water recreation and amusement

park, entertainment and retail areas. The existing 206-acre golf course

will be redesigned and upgraded. The proposed work includes the

placement of 684,000 cubic yards of dredged and fill material into the

Mississippi Sound in order to convert 38.4 acres of water bottoms into

land. Approximately 582,000 cubic yards of material will be dredged

from the Mississippi Sound from an area covering approximately 52

acres. The proposed project will result in the filling or permanent

shading of 66 acres of water bottoms, and filling 3.6 acres of isolated

wetlands.

2. Alternatives to the applicant's proposal may exist which would

reduce the impacts to the Mississippi Sound. These could include

reducing the fill and dredge requirements by locating all non-water

dependent facilities such as hotels to the landside development area,

reducing the number of dockside casinos, alternate site layouts which

may have less protrusion into the Sound, and possible alternate site

locations.

3. Scoping:

a. The Corps invites full public participation to promote open

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communication on the issues surrounding the proposal. All Federal,

State, and local agencies, and other persons or organizations that have

an interest are urged to participate in the NEPA scoping process.

Public meetings will be held to help identify significant issues and to

receive public input and comment.

b. The DEIS will analyze the potential social, economic, and

environmental impacts to the local area resulting from the proposed

project. Specifically, the following major issues will be analyzed in

depth in the DEIS: hydrologic and hydraulic regimes, essential fish

habitat and other marine habitat, air quality, cultural resources,

wastewater treatment capacities and discharges, transportation systems,

alternatives, secondary and cumulative impacts, socioeconomics,

environmental justice (effect on minorities and low-income groups), and

protection of children (Executive Order 13045).

c. The Corps will serve as the lead Federal agency in the

preparation of the DEIS. It is anticipated that the following agencies

will be invited and will accept cooperating agency status for the

preparation of the DEIS: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S.

Department of the Interior-Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department

of Commerce--National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Department of

Transportation--Federal Highway Administration.

4. It is anticipated that the first scoping meeting will be held in

the late May/early June time frame in the local area. Actual time and

place for the meeting and subsequent meetings or workshops will be

announced by the Mobile District by issuance of a Public Notice and/or

local media.

5. It is anticipated that the DEIS will be made available for

public review in August 1999.

Ronald A. Krizman,

Chief, Regulatory Branch.

[FR Doc. 99-11841 Filed 5-10-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3710-CR-M