161 Federal consistency under the Coastal Zone Management Act; maintenance dredging at Conneaut Harbor
Federal Consistency under the Coastal Zone Management Act; Maintenance Dredging at Conneaut Harbor [46 Pa.B. 625]
[Saturday, January 30, 2016]This notice is published under section 306(d)(14) of the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C.A. § 1455(d)(14)), regarding public participation during consistency determinations. The Department of Environmental Protection (Department), Coastal Resources Management Program has received notice that the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District is proposing maintenance dredging activities at Conneaut Harbor to be performed during the period between July 1, 2016, and September 15, 2016.
The USACE anticipates the need to dredge and manage sediments excavated from the authorized Federal navigation channels of Conneaut Harbor, Conneaut, OH to maintain sufficient water depths for commercial and recreational navigation. Approximately 180,000 cubic yards of sediment will be removed from Federal navigation channels by mechanical clamshell or hydraulic dredge, to be determined by the Federal contractor. The quality of the sediments have been evaluated using 2012 sediment data in accordance with the protocols and guidelines contained within the United States Environmental Protection Agency/USACE Great Lakes Dredged Material Testing and Evaluation Manual (1998). This evaluation concluded that the sediments in the Federal navigation channels are toxicologically comparable to sediments at the open lake reference area in Lake Erie and meet the requirements for open lake and nearshore placement. Additional sampling will be conducted on sediments from the Municipal Access Channel of Conneaut Harbor to determine suitability for nearshore placement. If determined suitable for nearshore placement, approximately 40,000 cubic yards of course-grained sediment from the Municipal Access Channel will be discharged within the nearshore placement area approximately 1,500 feet east of the Conneaut Harbor East Breakwater Extension at depth of no greater than 11 feet of water or no greater than 8 feet of water, to be determined by the Federal contractor. The remaining sediment (approximately 140,000 cubic yards of fine-grained sediment) will be discharged at the open-lake placement area located 4 miles from the West Breakwater Light, at an azimuth of 314°00`. The USACE has also posted a separate public notice of this proposed activity (Issuing Office: CELRM-PM-EA, Notice No: CONNEAUT-16,December 16, 2015).
This project is subject to Department review for Federal consistency because it is a Federal agency activity and will have reasonably foreseeable effects on this Commonwealth's coastal resources or uses.
In accordance with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) regulations in 15 CFR Part 930, Subparts C and I (relating to consistency for Federal agency activities; and consistency of Federal activities having interstate coastal effects), the USACE has determined that the proposed activity will be conducted in a manner consistent with the applicable enforceable policies of the Commonwealth's NOAA-approved Coastal Resources Management Program. Interested parties may request a copy of the Federal Consistency Determination from the following Department contact.
Questions regarding this review should be directed to Matthew Walderon, Federal Consistency Coordinator, (717) 772-2196, RA-Fed_Consistency@pa.gov.
The Department will consider all comments received through February 13, 2016, before issuing a final Federal consistency concurrence or objection. Comments submitted by facsimile will not be accepted. Comments, including comments submitted by e-mail, must include the originator's name and address. Commentators are encouraged to submit comments using the Department's online eComment system at www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/eComment. Written comments may be submitted to the Department of Environmental Protection, Interstate Waters Office, 400 Market Street, P. O. Box 8465, Harrisburg, PA 17101-8465, eComment@pa.gov.
JOHN QUIGLEY,
Secretary[Pa.B. Doc. No. 16-161. Filed for public inspection January 29, 2016, 9:00 a.m.]
