[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 29 (Monday, February 13, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8223-8224]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-3553]
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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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