NAO-15-0075

Published Jan. 7, 2016
Expiration date: 2/8/2016

January 6, 2016
CENAO-WR-OT

PUBLIC NOTICE:
The USACE-Norfolk District has prepared a draft Environmental Assessment on behalf of United States Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown (USCG TRACEN), in Yorktown, Virginia to assess the potential impacts of the maintenance dredging work described below:

LOCATION OF THE PROPOSED WORK:  The project is located at the United States Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown (USCG TRACEN), in Yorktown, Virginia. The Wormley Creek Federal Navigation Channel is located in Wormley Creek and extends north and east into the York River.

PROPOSED WORK AND PURPOSE: The primary purpose of this project is to provide safe navigation and anchorage for USCG vessel operations. Wormley Creek also provides access to a local marina and private docks and properties.  The proposed action is to hydraulically or mechanically dredge the Wormley Creek Channel to a maintained depth of -7 feet mean lower low water (MLLW) plus -2 feet paid overdepth and -1 foot non-paid overdepth for a maximum depth of -10 feet MLLW.  Dredging of the Wormley Creek Channel will remove approximately 75,000 cubic yards of dredged material in approximately 6.8 acres.  Dredged material from the inner portion of the channel would be transported by barge/scow for overboard placement in the Wolf Trap Alternate Placement Site (WTAPS). Dredged material from the outer portion of the channel would be transported via hydraulic pipeline for beneficial use along the shoreline directly northwest of Wormley Creek Channel, adjacent to the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center-Yorktown property.  Once the shoreline placement site reaches capacity, any remaining dredged material from the outer portion of the channel would be placed at the WTAPS.

SCOPE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
Under the requirements of Section 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), this proposed project constitutes a major Federal action, and an Environmental Assessment (EA) is therefore required. This EA has been prepared pursuant to NEPA and its implementing regulations. 

The purpose of this EA is to evaluate the direct and indirect impacts associated with maintenance and new work dredging and placement of dredged material from the Wormley Creek Channel Federal Navigation project. This document identifies and evaluates the potential environmental, cultural resources, and socioeconomic effects associated with the Proposed Action as accomplished by implementing the Preferred Alternative discussed in Section 2.0. Section 3.0 of this EA describes the alternatives considered. Section 4.0 describes the existing conditions that fall within the scope of this EA. Section 5.0 describes the environmental consequences envisioned as a result of implementing the Proposed Action.

The EA focuses on impacts likely to occur within the proposed area of construction. The document analyzes direct effects (those resulting from the alternatives and occurring at the same time and place) and indirect effects (those distant or occurring at a future date).

The draft EA was coordinated with the following:
• USCG-TRACEN Yorktown
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• NOAA - National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
• USCG
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agency (USFWS)
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
• Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (VDCR)
• Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ)
• Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF)
• Virginia Department of Historic Resources (VDHR)
• Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)
• Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC)

COMMENT PERIOD: Comments on this draft Environmental Assessment should be provided to Kristen Scheler via email (kristen.l.scheler@usace.army.mil) or in writing, addressed to the Norfolk District, Corps of Engineers (ATTN: CENAO-WR-OT (Scheler)), 803 Front Street, Norfolk, Virginia 23510-1096, and should be received by the close of business on February 8, 2016.

PRIVACY & CONFIDENTIALITY: Comments and information, including the identity of the submitter, submitted in response to this Public Notice may be disclosed, reproduced, and distributed at the discretion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  Information that is submitted in connection with this Public Notice cannot be maintained as confidential by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Submissions should not include any information that the submitter seeks to preserve as confidential.

If you have any questions about this project, contact Kristen Scheler at kristen.l.scheler@usace.army.mil or call 757-201-7843.