[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 14, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15087-15088]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-6127]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 
for the Installation of a Terminal Groin Structure at the Western End 
of South Beach, Bald Head Island, in Close Proximity to the Federal 
Wilmington Harbor Channel of the Cape Fear River (Brunswick County, NC)

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Wilmington District, 
Wilmington Regulatory Field Office has received a request for 
Department of the Army authorization, pursuant to Section 404 of the 
Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbor Act, from the 
Village of Bald Head Island (VBHI) to develop and implement a shoreline 
protection plan that includes the installation of a terminal groin 
structure on the east side of the Wilmington Harbor Baldhead Shoal 
Entrance Channel (a federally-maintained navigation channel of the Cape 
Fear River) at the ``Point'' of Bald Head Island. The structure will be 
designed to be strategically incorporated into the federal beach 
disposal operations associated with the Wilmington Harbor Sand 
Management Plan.

DATES: A public scoping meeting for the DEIS will be held at the ILA 
Hall, located at 211 West 10th Street in Southport (NC) on March 22, 
2012 at 6 p.m. Written comments will be received until April 9, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Copies of comments and questions regarding scoping of the 
DEIS may be submitted to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wilmington 
District, Regulatory Division. ATTN: File Number SAW-2012-00040, 69 
Darlington Avenue, Wilmington, NC 28403.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
and DEIS can be directed to Mr. David Timpy, Project Manager, 
Wilmington Regulatory Field Office, telephone: (910) 251-4634. 
Additional description of the VBHI's proposal can be found at the 
following link, http://www.saw.usace.army.mil/WETLANDS/Projects/index.html, under the Village of Bald Head Island Terminal Groin 
Project.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Project Description

    The west end of South Beach has experienced both chronic mid-term 
(decadal) and accelerated short-term erosion losses (with direct 
impacts to beaches and dunes of this segment of shoreline). A 
nourishment project has been employed by the VBHI to mitigate the 
effects of these losses. In addition, several million cubic yards of 
sand from a Federal navigation project has been disposed on the beach 
since 1991. Despite this sand placement on the beach, a portion of 
South Beach continues to experience substantial erosion, potentially 
impacting public infrastructure and homes. It is the VBHI's desire to 
implement a long-term beach and dune stabilization strategy. The 
applicant contends that a necessary component to the success of this 
strategy is the installation of a terminal groin that would (1) reduce 
inlet-directed sand losses from beach fill construction projects; and 
(2) stabilize shoreline alignment along the westernmost segment of 
South Beach in such a manner that alongshore transport rates are 
reduced. The VBHI proposal calls for the construction of a single 
terminal groin designed to compliment future placement of beach fill at 
South Beach. The structure will serve as a ``template'' for fill 
material placed eastward of the proposed terminal groin. In that 
regard, the groin will be designed as a ``leaky'' structure (i.e. semi-
permeable) so as to provide for some level of sand transport to West 
Beach (located northward of the proposed groin).

2. Issues

    There are several potential environmental and public interest 
issues that will be addressed in the DEIS. Additional issues may be 
identified during the scoping process. Issues initially identified as 
potentially significant include:
    a. Potential impacts to marine biological resources (benthic 
organisms, passageway for fish and other marine life) and Essential 
Fish Habitat.
    b. Potential impacts to threatened and endangered marine mammals, 
birds, fish, and plants.
    c. Potential impacts to adjacent shoreline changes on West Beach of 
Bald Head Island and adjacent shorelines.

[[Page 15088]]

    d. Potential impacts to Navigation, commercial and recreational.
    e. Potential impacts to the long-term management of the oceanfront 
shorelines.
    f. Potential effects on regional sand sources and how it relates to 
sand management practices and North Carolina's Beach Inlet Management 
Practices.
    g. Potential effects of shoreline protection.
    h. Potential impacts on public health and safety.
    i. Potential impacts to recreational and commercial fishing.
    j. Potential impacts to cultural resources.
    k. Cumulative impacts of past, present, and foreseeable future 
dredging and nourishment activities.

3. Alternatives

    Several alternatives are being considered for the development of 
the protection plan. These alternatives will be further formulated and 
developed during the scoping process and an appropriate range of 
alternatives, including the no federal action alternative, will be 
considered in the DEIS.

4. Scoping Process

    A public scoping meeting (see DATES) will be held to receive public 
comment and assess public concerns regarding the appropriate scope and 
preparation of the DEIS. Participation in the public meeting by 
federal, state, and local agencies and other interested organizations 
and persons is encouraged.
    The USACE will consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
under the Endangered Species Act and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination 
Act; with the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Endangered 
Species Act; and with the North Carolina State Historic Preservation 
Office under the National Historic Preservation Act. Additionally, the 
USACE will coordinate the DEIS with the North Carolina Division of 
Water Quality (NCDWQ) to assess the potential water quality impacts 
pursuant to Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, and with the North 
Carolina Division of Coastal Management (NCDCM) to determine the 
projects consistency with the Coastal Zone Management Act. The USACE 
will closely work with NCDCM and NCDWQ in the development of the DEIS 
to ensure the process complies with current State Environmental Policy 
Act (SEPA) requirements. It is the intention of both the USACE and the 
State of North Carolina to consolidate the NEPA and SEPA processes 
thereby eliminating duplication.

6. Availability of the DEIS

    The DEIS is expected to be published and circulated by the end of 
2012. A public hearing will be held after the publication of the DEIS.

    Dated: March 2, 2012.
Scott McLendon,
Assistant Chief, Regulatory Division.
[FR Doc. 2012-6127 Filed 3-13-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P