[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 63 (Monday, April 3, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16862-16863]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-8063]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Record of Decision to Dispose Solid Waste Generated at Marine
Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, NC
Pursuant to section 102(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, and the Council of Environmental Quality Regulations
(40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the Department of the Navy announces its
decision to dispose non-hazardous solid waste generated at Marine Corps
Base (MCB), Camp Lejeune, North Carolina at an on-base facility that
will comply with state and Federal Resource Conservation Recovery Act
(RCRA) Subtitle D regulations on solid waste disposal. The new facility
will be a multi-celled, double lined landfill with leachate collection.
The location of the facility will be a 170 acre site located at MCB
Camp Lejeune along the east side of Piney Green Road. The paving of
Piney Green Road and the construction of an entrance road, operations
building with scales, and waste transport truck steam wash building
will provide the necessary support facilities for the landfill. A
Material Recovery Facility to process and house recyclable solid waste,
a smaller separate landfill for disposal of non-hazardous construction
and demolition debris, and a composting facility for the processing of
yard waste will also be constructed and operated as funding becomes
available.
The landfill will be constructed and operated one cell at a time in
order to minimize operational costs and maximize the ability to adjust
landfill operations to changes in regulatory requirements. The landfill
site will accommodate multiple cells based on projected cell size and
regulatory requirements.
Alternatives evaluated during the solid waste disposal study
process included no action; construction and operation of an on-base
incinerator, construction and operation of an on-base energy plant; and
hauling solid waste off-base for disposal in municipal or private
facilities. Eleven on-base sites were evaluated for the placement of
the on-base alternatives.
The no action alternative was rejected early in the study process
due to the increased potential for adverse environmental impacts from
the continued use of an unlined landfill and the violation of state and
Federal laws associated with disposal of solid waste.
The on-base incinerator and waste to energy plant had the highest
capital costs of the alternatives studied. Except for air quality and
ash disposal, environmental impacts would be minor for these
alternatives. Both air quality and ash disposal would increase
operating cost of these alternatives. With the continuing efforts of
MCB Camp Lejeune to reduce and recycle its waste stream, the cost per
ton to operate these plants would continue to increase. The prospect of
increasing annual operating costs, reduced waste stream, and the need
for a hazardous waste landfill for ash disposal significantly reduced
the viability of these alternatives and weighed heavily in the
elimination of these alternatives from further
consideration. [[Page 16863]]
Off-base alternatives, such as private waste disposal facilities
and municipal landfills, were rejected due to the long hauling
distances involved, or because operators could not commit to accepting
MCB Camp Lejeune solid waste for a sufficient period.
Sites for on-base landfill and associated construction were
evaluated against engineering and environmental criteria for
suitability. The Piney Green Road site was chosen as the preferred site
due to ease of construction, isolation from population centers, and
minimization of adverse environmental impacts.
The operation of the landfill and construction and demolition
debris waste landfill at the Piney Green Road site will provide MCB
Camp Lejeune with a system for non-hazardous solid waste disposal. As
regulatory requirements demand more reduction and recycling of solid
waste products, the life of this site will increase because less
material will be placed in the landfill. The extension of the life of
the landfill cannot be calculated at this time since changes in laws
and regulations regarding solid waste are not known at this time. MCB
Camp Lejeune currently has a program in place for source reduction of
waste and recycling of waste materials. The recycling of waste
materials could include the composting of wastewater sludge along with
yard waste, wood waste, and other solid waste materials.
This action will have no impact on ambient air quality or noise
levels. No cultural resources listed, or determined eligible for
listing, on the National Register of Historic Places will be impacted
by any facility constructed for this project. No impacts to state or
Federally listed endangered or threatened plant or animal species are
expected from construction and operation of the landfill.
Specific measures will be used to control soil movement from
construction and operation activities. These measures will include
fabric silt fencing, pervious barriers in drainage ways to reduce
runoff velocities and retain sediments on site, and the seeding of open
areas when construction activities have ceased at that location.
The terrestrial habitat displaced by these facilities is currently
used in part for training. No significant adverse effects to
environmentally important habitats will occur. These effects have been
minimized by the siting decision made during site evaluation and
various studies.
About two acres of wetlands are located on the 170 acre site, any
impact to these wetlands will not occur until the need arises to open
future cells of the landfill. Proper permits will be obtained and
mitigation, as required, will be performed prior to disturbing these
wetlands.
The proposed action has been evaluated with the respect to
environmental and social impacts, as well as access to public
information and an opportunity for public participation in the NEPA
process as required by Executive Order 12989, ``Federal Actions to
Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income
Populations.'' The landfill is consistent with the goals and provisions
of the Executive Order.
A Coastal Consistency Determination was prepared for this action
and concluded that the action is being conducted in a manner consistent
with the enforceable policies of the North Carolina Coastal Zone
Management Plan. The North Carolina Division of Coastal Management
concurs with this determination.
Preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement began with a
public scoping process to identify issues that should be addressed in
the document. Involvement was offered through a public announcement of
the Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement. This
Notice was published in the Federal Register on April 29, 1992. Scoping
letters were sent to 70 addresses. The Notice was also published in the
Jacksonville Daily News and the Wilmington Star News on October 11-12,
1992.
The Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement was published in the Federal Register on October 15, 1993.
This document was distributed to officials of Federal, state, and local
government agencies, citizen groups and associations, public libraries,
and other interested parties. The public review period on the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement was from October 15, 1993 through
November 29, 1993. A public hearing was held at the Jacksonville Senior
High School, Jacksonville, North Carolina, on November 16, 1993. A
small number of comments were received during the comment period. The
comments centered on the alternative analysis, wetland impacts, and
landfill design. These comments were addressed in the Final
Environmental Impact Statement.
The Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement was published in the Federal Register on December 16, 1994.
This document was also distributed to officials of Federal, state, and
local government agencies, citizen groups and associations, public
libraries, and other interested parties.
The Department of the Navy believes there are no outstanding issues
to be resolved with respect to this project. Questions regarding the
Environmental Impact Statement prepared for this action may be directed
to Mr. Robert Warren, Environmental Management Department, MCB Camp
Lejeune, NC 28542, telephone (910) 451-5003.
March 27, 1995.
Elsie L. Munsell,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Environmental and Safety).
[FR Doc. 95-8063 Filed 3-31-95; 8:45 am]
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