24944 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 83 / Friday, April 28, 2000 / Notices

Disposal Alternatives

Seven dredge disposal sites were

assessed in the SEIS/SEIR. Various

combinations of disposal sites were

assembled as alternative project designs.

A total of twenty-one alternatives was

assembled; six for the ¥50 ft MLLW

project depth, eight for the ¥53 ft

MLLW project depth, and seven for the

¥55 ft MLLW project depth.

Alternative 7 for the ¥53 ft MLLW

project depth was selected as the

National Economic Development (NED)

Plan. Alternative 2 for the ¥53 ft MLLW

project depth was selected as the

Locally Preferred Plan (LPP). The Corps

has accepted the LPP as the modified

NED Plan and it is the recommended

plan.

Authorize Plan

• Deepening of the Inner Harbor

channels at the Port of Los Angeles to

a depth of ¥53 ft MLLW.

• Disposal of 1.5 million cubic yards

of sediment to create the 40-acre Pier

300 Expansion Site.

• Disposal of 1.7 million cubic yards

of sediment to create the 35-acre

Southwest Slip Fill Site.

• Disposal of 1.0 million cubic yards

to sediment to create the 54-acre

Cabrillo Shallow Water Habitat

Expansion Site.

• Disposal of 2.4 million cubic yards

of sediment at the LA–2 and/or LA–3

Ocean Disposal Site.

No Action

No deepening of the channels and no

construction of disposal sites.

4. The USACOE and the Los Angeles

Harbor Department, the local sponsor,

will consider public concerns on the

Draft SEIS/SEIR. Summary of the Public

Hearing and written comment letters

and responses will be incorporated in

the Final SEIS/SEIR as appropriate.

5. Time and Location

The Public Hearing is scheduled for

May 11, 2000, at 6:30 pm, Los Angeles

Harbor Department, Board Hearing

Room, 425 South Palos Verdes Street,

San Pedro, California.

Dated: April 18, 2000.

John P. Carroll,

Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer.

[FR Doc. 00–10634 Filed 4–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3710–KF–M

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of

Engineers

Intent To Prepare a Draft

Environmental Impact Statement

(DEIS) for Barrier Shoreline

Restoration in Lafourche, Jefferson,

and Plaquemines Parishes, Louisiana,

a Component of the Louisiana Coastal

Area, Louisiana—Ecosystem

Restoration, Barrier Island Restoration,

Marsh Creation, and River Diversion,

Barataria Basin Feasibility Study

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,

DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C)

of the National Environmental Policy

Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the

Army Corps of Engineers (COE), in

cooperation with the U.S. Department of

the Interior, Minerals Management

Service, will prepare a draft

environmental impact statement (EIS) to

analyze the direct and indirect

beneficial and adverse impacts of

implementing barrier shoreline

restoration in Lafourche, Jefferson, and

Plaquemines Parishes, Louisiana.

The purpose of the proposed action is

as follows: (1) In general, the purpose of

the Coast 2050 Plan is to sustain a

coastal ecosystem that supports and

protects the environment, economy, and

culture of southern Louisiana, and that

contributes greatly to the economy and

well-being of the nation; (2) the purpose

of the Coast 2050 strategies for the

Barataria Basin is to restore and/or

protect the natural and human

environment to create a sustainable

ecosystem in the Barataria Basin within

the context of the Gulf of Mexico

ecosystem, including coastal Louisiana;

and (3) the purpose of the Coast 2050

Plan’s barrier island restoration strategy

for the Barataria Basin (R2–22 strategy)

is to provide and sustain the unique

ecological integrity of barrier islands,

headlands, and shoreline. Habitats of

concern include shoreface, beach, dune,

maritime forest, back-barrier marsh,

bays, and passes.

The proposed action would consist of

the reformation of the barrier shoreline

from the Caminada-Moreau Headland at

the mouth of Bayou Lafourche to Sandy

Point, Louisiana.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions regarding the EIS may be

directed to Mr. Robert Martinson,

CEMVN–PM–RS, U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers, P.O. Box 60267, New

Orleans, Louisiana 70160–0267,

telephone: (504) 862–2582.

Questions regarding the proposed

action may be directed to Mr. Edmond

Russo, CEMVN–PM–C, U.S. Army Corps

of Engineers, P.O. Box 60267, New

Orleans, Louisiana 70160–0267,

telephone: (504) 862–1496.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Louisiana Department of Natural

Resources produced a document

entitled ‘‘Coast 2050: Toward a

Sustainable Coastal Louisiana in 1998.’’

That document presented strategies

jointly developed by Federal, state, and

local levels to address Louisiana’s

massive coastal land loss problem and

provide for a sustainable coastal

ecosystem by the year 2050. The

Louisiana Department of Natural

Resources (LDNR) conducted a

feasibility study of barrier shorelines

that was completed in March 1999 that

focused on barrier shoreline loss and

developed several alternatives to

address the problem. These two efforts

culminated in a joint agreement

between the Corps of Engineers and the

LDNR to evaluate selected features of

the Coast 2050 Plan in a Federal

feasibility study.

Proposed Action

The proposed action would consist of

the reformation of the barrier shoreline

from the Caminada-Moreau Headland at

the mouth of Bayou Lafourche on the

west to Sandy Point on the east. The

shoreline would have the ecological

attributes of shoreface, beach, dune,

maritime forest if possible, back-barrier

marsh, bays, and passes. The

reformation work could extend

Gulfward to approximately the ¥5.0

foot contour and up to about 1,000 feet

in the bayside direction from the edge

of the back-barrier marsh.

On the eastern fringe where a large

distance has opened between remnant

barrier islands and interior marsh, work

could extend into the bays up to about

2,500 feet. Larger passes such as

Barataria Pass would be left open.

Smaller passes may be closed. Sand for

reformation would be obtained from

nearby coastal bays, the Mississippi

River, or from Federal and state waters

of the Gulf of Mexico. A combination of

sand sources may be used for restoration

of these features. If sand is obtained

from Federal waters, a non-competitive

lease would need to be obtained by the

LDNR from the Minerals Management

Service. The Minerals Management

Service will ensure that information

needed by them to make a decision

about a lease will be included in the

EIS. Also, the benefits of providing

geomorphic features at the barrier

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 83 / Friday, April 28, 2000 / Notices 24945

shoreline to inland areas will be

considered in the EIS.

Alternatives

The no-action alternative must be

evaluated and retained throughout the

study. Additionally, the Barataria Basin

portion of the recommended plan from

the LDNR Barrier Shoreline Feasibility

Study will be investigated. The

recommended plan from that study

would rebuild dunes at the CaminadaMoreau Headland. The recommendation

from that study for the Plaquemines

shoreline from Grand Terre to east of

Sandy Point is to recreate a dune and

marsh platform stabilized with a rock

revetment along the gulf shoreline. In

addition, another alternative to be

evaluated in detail is expected to be

developed during the scoping process.

Need for Action

The focus for initial action is in the

Barataria Basin (in Lafourche, Jefferson,

and Plaquemines parishes), Louisiana,

one of nine basins delineated in the

Coast 2050 Plan. The Barataria Basin

has a very high rate of wetland loss,

estimated at about 11 square miles per

year from 1978–1990 (Fuller et al.

1995). The area also has tremendous

potential for restoration because of

nearby sediment in coastal bays, the

Mississippi River, and in Federal and

state waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

While the ultimate goal for coastal

restoration under the Coast 2050 plan is

to implement strategies throughout

coastal Louisiana, the Barataria Basin is

in dire need of immediate attention.

While most Barataria Basin strategies

are dependent on the overall input,

movement, and circulation of water,

sediment, and nutrients in the basin,

there are several strategies that can be

implemented largely independent of

these considerations. The barrier

shoreline restoration strategy is one of

those strategies. Restoration of barrier

islands, headlands, and shoreline can be

applied as a separable activity,

independent of other strategies in the

Barataria Basin and coastal Louisiana.

The barrier shoreline system in

Barataria Basin begins about 45 miles

northwest of the mouth of the

Mississippi River and forms a concave

arch of about 53 miles along the Gulf of

Mexico at the southern end of the

Barataria Basin. Barrier islands,

headlands, and shoreline can offer

unique ecological characteristics with

an assemblage of intertidal bottoms,

beaches, dunes, shrub thickets, and salt

marshes not found in interior wetlands.

The assemblage of plants and animals is

different than in any other area of the

basin. Some of the species are endemic

to barrier areas. A variety of seabirds,

wading birds, and shore birds such as

black skimmer, reddish egret, the

threatened piping plover, and least tern

can utilize barrier islands. The islands

can serve as a protection zone for many

species of fish, resting areas for

migrating birds, nesting locations for

birds such as the endangered brown

pelican, and nesting beaches for

threatened and endangered sea turtles.

The barrier areas in Barataria Basin

from Bayou Lafourche to Sandy Point

have undergone significant movement

and reduction in size during the past

100 years. While some lateral movement

of barrier areas is expected as sand is

reworked in the nearshore environment,

the Barataria Basin barrier areas have

retreated and narrowed rapidly,

symptoms of a sediment-poor system.

Tidal passes that have opened in the

islands during the passage of storms do

not reseal in fair weather (Levin 1993).

Islands have diminished in size

(narrowed) to the point that they are

likely to vanish in the near future. For

example, it is predicted that Grand

Terre Island may be gone by 2008

(McBride et al. 1992). Overall, the

Barataria barrier islands decreased in

area by 47 percent from the 1890s to

1988 (Fuller et al. 1995).

The Caminada-Moreau Headland,

forming the western portion of the

Barataria barrier system, has

experienced some of the highest rates of

shoreline movement on the Louisiana or

Gulf coast. Between 1978 and 1988, the

shoreline on the Barataria coast

retreated at a rate of 45 feet/year. The

shoreline has retreated over one mile in

some locations from 1887–1988

(McBride et al. 1992). The Plaquemines

Barrier System in the eastern portion of

the system retreated at an average rate

of 33 feet/year from 1973–1988. In 1884,

Grand Terre Island was 4,198 acres with

an average width of 2,982 feet, but by

1988, it was only 1,268 acres with an

average width of 1,740 feet. Shell Island

was 314 acres with a width of 446 feet.

In 1988, it was 171 acres and 345 feet

in width (McBride et al. 1992). The

shoreline has retreated 0.5–0.75 miles

over a large part of the Plaquemines

Barrier System.

Many of the barrier areas in Barataria

Basin have become nothing more than

fragmented, low mounds of sand, easily

overwashed by minor storm events,

maintaining little ecological value. As

the barrier areas become narrower and

disintegrate, bays and wetlands behind

the barriers become more directly

connected with the Gulf of Mexico and

its associated wave action and higher

salinity water. The implications of these

changes for coastal industries and

communities are severe even without

the threat of hurricane surge and waves.

Action to restore barrier areas has

become critical.

Fuller, D.A., J.G. Gosselink, J. Barras, and

C.E. Sasser. 1995. Physical Setting. pp.

9–23. In: D.J. Reed (ed.) Current Status

and Historical Trends of Hydrological

Modification, Reduction in Sediment

Availability, and Habitat Loss/

Modification in the Barataria-Terrebonne

Estuarine System. BTNEP No. 20.

Barataria Terrebonne National Estuary

Program, Thibodaux, LA.

Levin, D.R. 1993. Tidal inlet evolution in the

Mississippi River delta plain. Journal of

Coastal Research 9.2:462–480.

McBride, R.A., S. Penland, M.W. Hiland, S.J.

Williams, K.A. Westphal, B.E. Jaffe, and

A.H. Sallenger, Jr. 1992. Analysis of

barrier shoreline change in Louisiana

from 1853 to 1989. pp. 36–97 In: S.J.

Williams, S. Penland, and A.H. Sallenger

(eds.) Louisiana Barrier Island Erosion

Study, Atlas of Shoreline Changes in

Louisiana from 1853 to 1989. U.S.

Geological Survey Miscellaneous

Investigations Series I–2150–A.

Scoping

The Corps of Engineers and LDNR invite

NEPA input in writing or in person

concerning the scope of the EIS, resources to

be evaluated, and alternatives to be

considered. Individuals, groups, and agencies

can write comments to the Corps of

Engineers using Mr. Martinson’s address

shown above. The Corps of Engineers and

LDNR plan to hold a scoping meeting in

Thibodaux, Louisiana on June 8, 2000 from

7–10 pm in the Century Room of the John L.

Guidry Stadium located on Audubon Drive of

Nicholls State University Campus,

Thibodaux, LA 70301. The entrance to the

Century Room is a red door under the

stadium. Additional meetings with local

interests will be held after the scoping

meeting as necessary.

A draft EIS is scheduled to be available for

public review during March of 2001. A

public meeting on the draft EIS will be

scheduled at that time.

Dale A. Knieriemen,

Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, Acting District

Engineer.

[FR Doc. 00–10640 Filed 4–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3710–84–U

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army: Corps of

Engineers

Intent To Prepare a Draft

Environmental Impact Statement to

Evaluate a Permit Application by the

New Jersey Turnpike Authority

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers—New York District, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.