UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION 4 ATLANTA FEDERAL CENTER 61 FORSYTH STREET ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303-8960 

# DCT 0 62014 Ms. Virginia Faye Assistant Regional Administratorfor Habitat Conservation National Marine Fisheries Service Southeast Regional Office 263 13th Avenue South St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 Dear Ms. Faye: Please find enclosed for your review a copy ofthe Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for designation ofan Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site (ODMDS) offshore Jacksonville, Florida which includes as Appendix D an Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) Assessment. The FEIS wasjointlyprepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4 and the U.S. Anny Corps ofEngineers (USACE) Jacksonville District to fulfill the reporting requirements ofthe National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended. The EPA is the lead Federal agency and the USACE is a cooperating agency. The FEIS provides the infonnation necessary to evaluate need and alternatives with respect to the designation ofa new ODMDS pursuant to Section 102 ofthe Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) of 1972, as amended. The FEIS identifies Alternative 1 a as the preferred alternative. In response to public and agency comment to the Draft EIS, the boundaries ofAlternative I were modified in the FEIS and subsequently referred to as Alternative 1a. Alternative 1 a consists of expansion ofthe existing ODMDS to the south and east. The purpose ofthe ODMDS is to accommodate disposal ofdredged material generated over the next 50 years from the Jacksonville HarborNavigation Project, Naval Station Mayport and the proposed Jacksonville Harbor Deepening Project. All dredged material must meet the environmental criteria established in the EPA's Ocean Dumping Regulations. The FEIS contains a draft SiteManagement and Monitoring Plan (SMMP) for both preferred alternatives (Appendix F). The MPRSA requires that these plans be developed prior to designation with an opportunity for public comment. The EPA is submitting the enclosed EFH Assessment in accordance with Section 305(b )(2) ofthe Magnusan-Stevens Act and NOAA Fisheries' implementing regulations at 50 CFR Section 600.920. EFH exists throughout the study area for several species and species groups. Effects to the water column, such as increased turbidity, are expected to be temporary. Direct effects ofsedimentation are not expected to be substantial due to the mobility ofthe majority offederally managed species that may occur within the project area and the lack ofgeographic constraints within the vicinity ofthe project area. Benthic infaunal organisms and sessile organisms that serve as prey or that provide microhabitats to managed species are expected to be affected by disposal activities. Species and species groups preferring soft sediment (e.g., penaeid shrimp) may find the disposal offine sediment attractive and may even benefit from disposal activities. The expansion ofthe Jacksonville ODMDS may provide some refuge for epibenthic invertebrates (e.g., penaeid shrimp, brown rock shrimp) and demersal fishes (e.g., black seabass, rock sea bass,juvenilered snapper) from shrimp trawler activities as disposal sites are avoided by trawlers for fear ofnet damage.

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### The enclosed EFH Assessment has beenrevised in response to your agency's comments on July 11, 2012. The EPA provided an interim response on August 2, 2012, providing additional information requested regarding the amount ofhardbottom within the three alternatives and the quantity and location ofOculina cf

. varicose (ivory tree coral) andAstrangiapoculata (northern star coral) fragments collected duringthe designation surveys. This information has also been incorporated into therevised EFH Assessment. In response to your agency's EFH Conservation Recommendations, the EPA modified the boundaries ofAlternative I (referred to as Alternative Ia) to decrease impacts to rubble areas from 6

.9 acres to 3.5 acres. Although this alternative still has more hardbottom habitat than the other alternatives, it has fewer overall impacts to biological and socioeconomic resources and was therefore chosen as the preferred alternative. In summary, the EPA has concluded that any adverse impact to EFH as a result ofexpansion ofthe Jacksonville ODMDS will be minor. Furthermore, webelieve that this site designation action complies with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's Policies for disposal ofdredged materials. Any additional EFH conservation recommendations provided by the National Marine Fisheries Service will be reviewed and considered priorto final rulemaking. We would appreciate receiving any final EFH Conservation Recommendations and any comments on the SMMP within 30days ofreceipt ofthis letter orNovember 17, 2014, whichever is later

. Ifyou have any questions regarding this assessment orthe designation ofthe ODMDS, please contact Mr. Chris McArthur at (404) 562-9391 or m

carthur

.christopher@ epa.gov. Sincerely,

# ~:t~ Chief Wetlands, Coastal and Watersheds Branch

Enclosures

cc: Mr. George Getsinger, NMFS (w / enclosures) Mr. Pace Wilbur, NMFS (w/ enclosure) Mr. Patrick Griffin, USACE-SAJ (w/o enclosures)