[Federal Register: January 29, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 19)] [Notices] [Page 4640] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr29ja99-45] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Corps of Engineers Notice of Availability of the Draft Supplement III to the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Manteo (Shallowbag) Bay Project, Dare County, North Carolina; Dated January 1999 AGENCY: Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District, DOD. ACTION: Notice of availability. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has prepared Supplement No. 2 General Design Memorandum and a Draft Supplement III to the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Manteo (Shallowbag) Bay project, located in Dare County, North Carolina. The project was originally authorized in 1970, and called for the deepening of the navigation channel from the Atlantic Ocean through Oregon Inlet to Wanchese, North Carolina. Because of the dynamic and hazardous nature of Oregon Inlet, dual jetties, combined with a means to bypass sand around the inlet, were authorized to provide safe navigation and reduce the frequency of maintenance dredging. A range of jetty spacings was analyzed to determine the optimum for protecting navigation, channeling tidal flows, preventing sound side setup, and facilitating larval fish passage through the inlet. Based on this analysis, a jetty spacing of 3,000 feet was selected. Three alternative jetty designs were analyzed to determine whether cost effective measures are available to minimize potential impacts on larval fish: (a) The previously proposed project at a 3,000-foot spacing; (b) jetties along the same alignment which are 1,000 feet shorter; and (c) jetties which are 1,000 feet shorter along the same alignment and with a weir section in the north jetty to allow larval fish passage during mid to high tides. Refined modeling and offshore surveys have indicated that shorter jetties will be effective at intercepting littoral sands and capturing sediments in the ebb tide delta, therefore, shorter jetties are being recommended. Analysis of the weir jetty alternative indicates that movement of larval fishes into the inlet would be facilitated by the presence of a weir. Initial construction costs would be slightly lower and there would be unquantifiable fishery benefits. A weir jetty would allow for the movement of sand over the weir into the inlet where it could be readily bypassed during any season instead of the summer season bypassing required under the previously proposed plan. The dredging only plan has also been reexamined. It has been confirmed that, due to high rate of shoaling in Oregon Inlet, construction and maintenance of the authorized improved channel without jetties is not economically feasible. The no action alternative, which includes the continuation of year-round sidecast dredging supplemented by pipeline and hopper dredging in an effort to maintain the existing project, does not provide a safe, navigable channel in Oregon Inlet. The hazardous navigation conditions will continue to cause vessel losses and damages, injuries to crews, and occasional deaths. After consideration of the environmental consequences of the spacing changes and refinements to the jetty alternative, the dredging only alternative, and the no action alternative, the preferred alternative is to construct shortened jetties with a 3,000-foot spacing and a weir section in the north jetty. The Supplement No. 2 General Design Memorandum and Draft Supplement III to the Final EIS are now being circulated to allow the public and other interested parties to comment on this sand management plan and other project features which have changed since the last EIS supplement, dated May 1985. All interested persons are invited to provide their views on any aspect of the proposed project. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the Supplement No. 2 General Design Memorandum contact Mr. William Dennis, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District, PO Box 1890, Wilmington, North Carolina 28402-1890, at (910) 251-4780; and for information on the DEIS supplement contact Mr. William Adams, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District, P.O. Box 1890, Wilmington, North Carolina 28402- 1890, at (910) 251-4748. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Lands on either side of the inlet are in public ownership, with Cape Hatteras National Seashore to the north and Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge to the south. Without sand bypassing, jetties, which trap sand as it moves along the beach, can cause significant erosion of adjacent shorelines. During 1991, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of the Interior formed a Joint Task Force to develop a sand-bypassing plan that was agreeable to both parties. The outcome of this effort was the development of a Sand Management Plan which went beyond previous sand bypassing plans by predefining project related shoreline impacts and delineating shoreline reaches which will be managed as a project responsibility. SCOPING: Individuals and agencies may present written comments relevant to the Draft EIS Supplement by sending the information to Mr. William Adams at the address above prior to March 18, 1999. Comments, suggestions, and requests to be placed on the mailing list for announcements and for the Final EIS Supplement are also welcome and can be furnished to Mr. Adams at the above address or via e-mail to: william.f.adams@saw02.usace.army.mil, or by FAX at (910) 251-4965. Copies of the Draft EIS Supplement are available from Mr. William Adams at the address above. Review copies are also available in the library of the Wilmington District Headquarters located at 69 Darlington Avenue, Wilmington, North Carolina. Dated: January 13, 1999. Terry R. Youngbluth, Colonel Corps of Engineers, District Engineer. [FR Doc. 99-2186 Filed 1-28-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3710-GN-M