Interested parties are hereby notified that a request for permission to alter a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) project pursuant to Section 14 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. Section 408) has been received and will be evaluated by the Norfolk District. Written comments, including any objections to the proposed alteration, stating reasons therefor, are being solicited from anyone having an interest in the requested alteration. The authority to grant permission for temporary or permanent use, occupation or alteration of any USACE civil works project is contained in Section 14 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, as amended, codified at 33 USC 408 (“Section 408”). Section 408 authorizes the Secretary of the Army to grant permission for the alteration or occupation or use of a USACE project if the Secretary determines that the activity will not be injurious to the public interest and will not impair the usefulness of the project.
A Joint Permit Application (VMRC #2021-0598) has been received from the City of Norfolk to extend an existing outfall through Ocean View Beach, adjacent to Chesapeake Boulevard. The proposed outfall also will extend through an existing rock breakwater previously installed by the City of Norfolk. The proposed outfall will extend approximately 108 feet channelward of the existing outfall, mean high water and mean low water. Sixteen 15-inch pilings will be installed to support the outfall extension. Beach sand and breakwater rock will be stockpiled and then replaced after installation of the new outfall extension. Additionally, the City proposes to install a warning sign and a light on a 15-inch pile at the terminus of the outfall extension, and a warning sign on a proposed 15-inch pile adjacent to the existing 11th View Street outfall structure. The purpose of the outfall extension is to protect against blockage caused by sediment. This project falls within the footprint of the USACE Willoughby Spit and Vicinity, Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction Project, Norfolk, Virginia, which originally entailed a design berm width of 60 feet, to provide a 250-foot-wide beach to an elevation of 3.5 feet NAVD, along 7.3 miles of Chesapeake Bay shoreline. Specifically, the outfall will extend through the 20 to 1 nearshore slope down from the 60-foot-wide berm to the natural bottom.
A copy of the Joint Permit Application can be obtained here: https://webapps.mrc.virginia.gov/public/habitat/
Written comments may be submitted via mail to:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District
803 Front Street
Norfolk, VA 23510-1096
ATTN: Kathy Perdue
Or email to Kathy.S.Perdue@usace.army.mil
If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Perdue by telephone at 757-201-7218 or via email at Kathy.S.Perdue@usace.army.mil.
Comments are due by June 14, 2022. (14-day PN)