[Federal Register: January 25, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 15)] [Notices] [Page 3688-3689] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr25ja99-48] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Army Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Waukegan Harbor, Lake County, Illinois as Part of the Comprehensive Dredging Management Plan (CDMP) AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense. ACTION: Notice of intent. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District maintains Waukegan Harbor, a Federally authorized, commercial deep-draft navigation project on Lake Michigan. Maintenance dredging has not been performed on inner portions of the harbor since 1971, due to elevated levels of contaminants in the sediment, particularly polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and lack of an acceptable disposal site for confinement of these sediments. Sediment in the outermost portion of the Federal Channel beyond the breakwater, is clean, does not require confined disposal and has been dredged routinely since completion of the harbor. The Chicago District has been working closely with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), The Waukegan Port District, and the Waukegan Citizen's Advisory Group (CAG) to develop a Comprehensive Dredging Management Plan for Waukengan Harbor. The plan has three primary objectives: (1) re-establish a regular maintenance dredging program for the inner harbor area; (2) deepen the navigation channels to accommodate more economical, deeper draft vessels; and (3) clean-up all contaminated unconsolidated sediment within the harbor. Approximately 550,000 cubic yards of sediments need to be removed from the harbor to meet these objectives. The EIS will evaluate sediment removal, transport, and disposal and management alternatives developed as part of the Waukegan Harbor CDMP. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Phil Moy, EIS Coordinator (312) 353-6400 extension 2021 or Ms. Joan Albert, Project Manager, (312) 353- 6400 extension 2004; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District; 111 North [[Page 3689]] Canal Street; Chicago, Illinois 60606-7206. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 1. Background Prior to 1969, sediment dredged from the Federal Channel was placed at an open-lake location. The discovery of elevated levels of contaminants has prohibited maintenance dredging and authorized expansion and deepening of the Federal Channel. Due to the lack of maintenance dredging, channel depth in some parts of the harbor has been reduced by as much as ten feet. Due to the presence of PCBs in the sediment, Waukegan Harbor was designated as one of the Great Lake's Areas of Concern in 1981. State are required to prepare a Remedial Action Plan (RAP) for Great Lakes Areas of Concerns. The Waukegan Citizen's Advisory Group has been actively involved in the RAP process with the IEPA. The PCB contamination originated in discharges primarily attributed to the Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC). Under the Federal Superfund authority, the USEPA and OMC developed a plan to cleanup the most severely PCB-contaminated sediment (>50 parts per million (ppm)); the cleanup was complete in 1993. Prior to completion of the cleanup, the maximum PCB concentration in the Federal Channel was 33.5 ppm. Today the maximum concentration of PCBs in the Federal Channel is 10.9, with an average of about 3.4 ppm. 2. Alternatives The EIS will consider the potential impacts of alternatives for dredging and disposal of contaminated sediment removed from the inner areas of the harbor. These will include various means of dredging and sediment transport to the proposed disposal sites. Alternatives for deepening and ongoing maintenance of the Federal Channel will also be evaluated. The EIS will evaluate management alternatives for clean sediment dredged from the approach channel. Current laws and environmental policies require that contaminated dredged material be confined or receive special treatment. Contaminated sediment can be placed at an approved commercial landfill or in a confined disposal facility (CDF) constructed for the harbor. Over 15 potential CDF sites for the Waukegan Harbor sediment were evaluated in a 1984 Study. Though several of the sites met the economic, technical, and environmental standards, lack of a nonFederal project sponsor or public support prevented the plan from oving forward to approval and implementation. One of the original sites, a 17-acre, in-lake location south of Waukegan Harbor remains under consideration. Through cooperative efforts of the Waukegan CAG, and Federal and State agencies, a new upland site has been identified for consideration: an existing 33-acre industrial lagoon on the Johns-Manville property two miles north of the harbor. It is anticipated that once the sediment cleanup is complete, new sediment that accumulates in the harbor would not require confined disposal. Therefore, any CDF constructed for the harbor cleanup would be capped and closed upon completion of the project. 3. Scoping Process As part of the EIS process, a public scoping meeting will be held early in 1999. Public participation is an important part of the environmental analysis by providing assistance in determining the scope of issues to be addressed and identifying the significant issues of the proposed actions. Federal, State, and local resources agencies, Native American groups and concerned interest groups/individuals are encouraged to participate in this process. Time and location of the scoping meeting will be widely publicized through fliers, announcements and news releases. Those wishing to provide information or data they feel should be included or considered in the Environmental Impact Statement should furnish the information by writing to the points of contact indicated above or by attending the scoping meeting. Mary V. Yonts, Alternate Army Federal Register Liaison Officer. [FR Doc. 99-1570 Filed 1-22-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3710-HN-M