FEDERAL PUBLIC NOTICE
SUBJECT: Norfolk Harbor Navigation Federal Navigation Project, Sewells Point to Lamberts Bend Channel (NH-SPLB) – Proposed Maintenance Dredging, Transport, and Alternative Placement at Norfolk Ocean Disposal Site (NODS).
The Norfolk District is soliciting comments from the public; federal and state agencies; and other interested parties to consider and evaluate the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of this proposed activity. Pursuant to Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) of 1972, this Public Notice serves as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District (Corps) notification relating to proposed placement of suitable dredged material at the Norfolk Ocean Disposal Site (NODS). The NODS was designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) pursuant to Section 102(c) of MPRSA for the ocean placement of suitable dredged material. The final rule was promulgated by EPA on July 2, 1993 (FR. Vol. 58 No. 126), effective July 2, 1993. Dredged material proposed for transport for the purpose of discharge in ocean waters must be evaluated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in accordance with part 227 of MPRSA, Section 103 and processed in accordance with 33 CFR 324. The use of NODS is contingent upon U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3 review and concurrence that the dredged material meets MPRSA criteria (40 CFR 227).
ACTIVITY: Approximately 5.7 million cubic yards (MCY) of dredged material from the Norfolk Harbor - SPLB was characterized and evaluated to determine compliance with the criteria in Part 227 of MPRSA, Section 103. The NH - SPLB maintenance dredged material is typically placed at the Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area (CIDMMA). However, due to the current closure of CIDMMA through 2029 the dredging, transport of dredged material, and placement at the NODS will be the primary placement site for suitable dredged material to maintain navigation. The anticipated construction duration for annual maintenance dredging is approximately 150 days. Annual maintenance dredging is required to remove shoaled sediment to maintain safe navigable depths within the channel.
LOCATION: The Sewells Point to Lamberts Bend Channel is located in the city of Norfolk starting from the -60 ft Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW) existing contour in the vicinity of Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel and extends approximately 8 statute miles to Lamberts Bend, varying in width between 800 and 1,200 ft. The elements of this channel consist of the Craney Island Reach, Norfolk Harbor Reach, and the Entrance Reach in the inner harbor. The NODS is located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 17 statute miles east of Cape Henry. The center point coordinate of the NODS is latitude 36°59’00” North and longitude 75°39’00” West. The site is circular with a radius of 4 nautical miles and has an area of approximately 50 square nautical miles. Water depth within the NODS ranges from -42 to -85 ft MLLW. The site has unlimited capacity and is designated to provide capacity for long-term management of dredged material from the lower Chesapeake Bay and suitable materials from Norfolk Harbor (USEPA 1992). Dredged material that passes ocean placement criteria may be placed at the NODS.
Prior to 2008, the only use of the NODS was by the U.S. Navy in August 1993. Approximately 51,000 cubic yards of dredged material from the Naval Supply Center Cheatham Annex and 475,000 cubic yards of dredged material from the Naval Weapons Station Yorktown were placed at the site. Since 2013 the following projects have placed suitable dredged material at the NODS including: VDOT-Midtown Tunnel Project (1,121,642 CY, 10/2013 to 10/2014), Joint Base Langley Eustis – Skiffes Creek Channel (128,244 CY, 11/26/2014 to 12/17/2014), Joint Base Langley Eustis - Back River Channel (125,723 CY, 2/27/2019 to 7/19/2020), Norfolk Harbor Channels – Sewells Point to Lamberts Bend Maintenance (1,464,338 CY, placed 11/29/2022 to 4/27/2023), U.S. Navy – Naval Station Norfolk – Phase 1 (954,177 CY placed 4/15/2024 to 8/1/2024), Virginia Port Authority - Portsmouth Marine Terminal (263,742 CY, placed 10/8/2023 to 11/20/2023), Virginia Port Authority, Virginia International Gateway Berth and Access Channel (333,720 CY, placed 11/24,2024 to 12/31/2024), Virginia Port Authority, Norfolk International Terminals (NIT-North/South, 1,233,890 CY, placed 4/25/25 to 7/25/25), and Craney Island Eastward Expansion Project (2,865,584 CY, placed 4/223/25 to 10/27/25). There have been no documented effects from the authorized discharges that have occurred at the placement area.
Shoaled sediment from SPLB with proposed transport for the purpose of ocean disposal at the NODS must be removed to maintain safe navigable depths for deep draft commercial and national defense navigation interests. Grain size of the dredged material in the channel is predominantly silt and clay material with a minor volume of fine sands. The dredged material proposed for placement at NODS does not meet the testing exclusionary criteria set forth under 40 CFR 227.13(b). Subsequent dredged material testing detected the presence of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and dioxin/furan congeners in the bulk sediments from the SPLB channel.
Dredged material was tested for liquid phase, liquid and suspended particulate phase, and solid phase (e.g. benthic toxicity and benthic bioaccumulation) using criteria and procedures developed by the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in accordance with 40 CFR 220-228. Evaluation of the liquid phase has determined the material complies with the Limiting Permissible Concentration (LPC) and is in compliance with 40 CFR 227.6(c)(1) and 227.27(a)(1). Evaluation of the liquid and suspended particulate phase has determined the material complies with the LPC and is in compliance with 40 CFR 227.6(c)(2) and 227.27(b). Evaluation of the benthic toxicity solid phase has determined the material complies with the LPC and is in compliance with 40 CFR 227.13(c)(3), 227.6(c)(3) and 227.27(b). A 28-day benthic bioaccumulation exposure study to evaluate chronic benthic toxicity determined the solid phase dredged material meets the LPC for benthic bioaccumulation and complies with the benthic criteria of 40 CFR Part 227.13 (c) (3). The dredged material as described from the SPLB meets the MPRSA criteria (40 CFR 227).
ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTATION: The environmental impacts of the SPLB new work and maintenance dredging have been evaluated in National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and regulatory documents including: (1) the Final General Reevaluation Report and Final Environmental Assessment/Finding of No Significant Impact dated June 2018; and (2) the Finding of No Significant Impact was executed on 16 October 2018. The Corps submitted the Coastal Zone Management Act, Federal Consistency Determination that the Norfolk Harbor Navigation Improvements Project is consistent, to the maximum extent practicable, with the enforceable policies of the Viriginia Coastal Zone Management Program and received the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality concurrence response dated January 10, 2018 (DEQ 17-169F).
COMMENT PERIOD: Comments on this project should be in writing and can be sent by either email to Laura.E.Bennett@usace.army.mil, or by regular mail, addressed to the Norfolk District, Corps of Engineers (ATTN: Laura Bennett, CENAO-WR-O), 803 Front Street, Norfolk, Virginia 23510-1011, and should be received by the close of business on June 17, 2026.
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 Laura E. Bennett at 757-201-7299 or by email at Laura.E.Bennett@usace.army.mil.