Please note: the correct email address is lawrence.m.slavitter@usace.army.mil
The applicant proposes to place an articulating barge off the coast of Delaware which would convert salt water to potable water, and install a pipeline from shore to the barge in order to bring potable water from the barge on-shore. The barge would be one hundred thirty eight (138) long and twenty (20) feet wide and would be located approximately three quarters (0.75) of a nautical mile east of the Delaware Coastline. The barge would be secured to the existing ocean floor by three (3) sand filters that would be connected to their associated mooring buoy, which would be connected to the barge. The barge would contain two spud wells; each of the two (2) spuds would total 22’ in height, and would have 12’ X 12’plates attached them. These spuds would serve as damping plates that are part of the system to optimize the performance of the barge in wave energy conversion. These damping plates can be set at various depths below the barges keel to tune the damping affects for optimizing the articulated barge system performance. The sand filter structures would be approximately thirty five (35) feet by 10 foot wide with gravity being used to secure them to the ocean floor. Inside the sand filters, gravel and sand would be present to form the primary filtration for the water entering the barge. The water would be gravity fed through the sand filters, flow through flexible intake pipelines onto the barge. The intake pipelines would be stabilized in the ocean by floating mooring buoys. The articulating vessels will pump the saline water through a reverse osmosis filter to create potable water. Excessive salt would be pumped back into the surrounding ocean water at a concentration of about 70 parts per trillion. The potable water would be delivered on shore via a pipeline.
The six (6) inch HDPE diameter pipeline would be installed from the shore via directional drilling to a location approximately fourteen hundred (1400) feet waterward of the mean high water line. From there, the pipeline would be installed using an ocean trenching system called an Aquaplow. This plow would cut through the ocean floor and install the pipeline approximately 6 feet below the existing substrate. The pipeline would terminate at the barge, approximately three thousand seven hundred fifty (3750) feet waterward of mean high water. The vessel would pump continually, sending the potable water on-shore. During significant storm events, the vessel would be disconnect to the on-shore pipeline, and would relocate to outside the Indian River Marina. The pipeline to shore would be secured to one of the three (3) intake pipeline buoys that would remain at the site during the storm event.
A trailer will be placed on the upland portion of the site to perform monitoring of the proposed vessel. A water truck would be located on the site to capture the potable water that would be generated by the vessel. The project would last no greater than 5 years from the date of the issuance of the permit, if one is to be issued by this office. Upon completion of the testing, the pipeline would be removed to the shoreline via the Aquaplow system described above, only in reverse. Due to the depth of the pipeline underneath the dune and the beach, and due to potential environmental impacts that would result from digging around the dune and beach, the pipeline would remain permanently positioned at these locations. Vessels would be deployed to perform maintenance on the equipment within the ocean approximately twice a year. No placement of fill material within areas of Federal jurisdiction is proposed during the installation and implementation of the project.
According to Federal regulation 33 CFR 325.1(d)(7), applicants wishing to discharge fill material into waters of the U.S. must include a statement on how they have avoided and minimized impacts as well as how they intend to compensate for unavoidable impacts. The applicant has avoided/minimized impacts to the aquatic environment by incorporating engineering/construction procedures into the process that will substantially reduce impacts to aquatic resources. The proposed project is engineered to avoid and minimize impacts to the aquatic environment. Generally, the project utilizes wave energy to power the desalinization instead of relying on fossil fuels. The articulating barge is designed with floating and portable components for easy removal and minimal impact, consisting of a floating barge and portable mooring buoys. Additionally, the site location was selected based in part on the absence of shell fish beds.
The concentrated ocean water generated by the desalinization process will be released back into the surrounding ocean. The Delaware DNREC has determined that no NPDES or state Water Quality Certification is required based upon a determination that the concentrated ocean water will have a negligible impact on the waterway, a minimal potential to impact fish or marine organisms, and does not violate State water quality standards. Furthermore, the applicant is required by DNREC to annually monitor and measure peak discharge volumes, rates of waste brine, and the size of the dilution zone. Therefore, all potential impacts on aquatic resources from the concentrated ocean water have been avoided and no compensatory mitigation is deemed to be necessary.
The project proposes installing a pipeline in order to bring the potable water from the barge on-shore. The six (6) inch pipeline will be installed through directional drilling and an ocean trenching system. Upon the conclusion of the project the pipeline will be removed from the site. The installation of the pipeline is not expected to impact aquatic resources and no compensatory mitigation is deemed to be necessary.
No wetlands will be impacted by the project. The project will avoid any impacts and will not have any direct or foreseeable secondary impacts on aquatic resources, including wetlands, and therefore does not require compensatory mitigation.
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