[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 63 (Monday, April 3, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16862-16863]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-8063]



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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Record of Decision to Dispose Solid Waste Generated at Marine 
Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, NC

    Pursuant to section 102(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) of 1969, and the Council of Environmental Quality Regulations 
(40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the Department of the Navy announces its 
decision to dispose non-hazardous solid waste generated at Marine Corps 
Base (MCB), Camp Lejeune, North Carolina at an on-base facility that 
will comply with state and Federal Resource Conservation Recovery Act 
(RCRA) Subtitle D regulations on solid waste disposal. The new facility 
will be a multi-celled, double lined landfill with leachate collection. 
The location of the facility will be a 170 acre site located at MCB 
Camp Lejeune along the east side of Piney Green Road. The paving of 
Piney Green Road and the construction of an entrance road, operations 
building with scales, and waste transport truck steam wash building 
will provide the necessary support facilities for the landfill. A 
Material Recovery Facility to process and house recyclable solid waste, 
a smaller separate landfill for disposal of non-hazardous construction 
and demolition debris, and a composting facility for the processing of 
yard waste will also be constructed and operated as funding becomes 
available.
    The landfill will be constructed and operated one cell at a time in 
order to minimize operational costs and maximize the ability to adjust 
landfill operations to changes in regulatory requirements. The landfill 
site will accommodate multiple cells based on projected cell size and 
regulatory requirements.
    Alternatives evaluated during the solid waste disposal study 
process included no action; construction and operation of an on-base 
incinerator, construction and operation of an on-base energy plant; and 
hauling solid waste off-base for disposal in municipal or private 
facilities. Eleven on-base sites were evaluated for the placement of 
the on-base alternatives.
    The no action alternative was rejected early in the study process 
due to the increased potential for adverse environmental impacts from 
the continued use of an unlined landfill and the violation of state and 
Federal laws associated with disposal of solid waste.
    The on-base incinerator and waste to energy plant had the highest 
capital costs of the alternatives studied. Except for air quality and 
ash disposal, environmental impacts would be minor for these 
alternatives. Both air quality and ash disposal would increase 
operating cost of these alternatives. With the continuing efforts of 
MCB Camp Lejeune to reduce and recycle its waste stream, the cost per 
ton to operate these plants would continue to increase. The prospect of 
increasing annual operating costs, reduced waste stream, and the need 
for a hazardous waste landfill for ash disposal significantly reduced 
the viability of these alternatives and weighed heavily in the 
elimination of these alternatives from further 
consideration. [[Page 16863]] 
    Off-base alternatives, such as private waste disposal facilities 
and municipal landfills, were rejected due to the long hauling 
distances involved, or because operators could not commit to accepting 
MCB Camp Lejeune solid waste for a sufficient period.
    Sites for on-base landfill and associated construction were 
evaluated against engineering and environmental criteria for 
suitability. The Piney Green Road site was chosen as the preferred site 
due to ease of construction, isolation from population centers, and 
minimization of adverse environmental impacts.
    The operation of the landfill and construction and demolition 
debris waste landfill at the Piney Green Road site will provide MCB 
Camp Lejeune with a system for non-hazardous solid waste disposal. As 
regulatory requirements demand more reduction and recycling of solid 
waste products, the life of this site will increase because less 
material will be placed in the landfill. The extension of the life of 
the landfill cannot be calculated at this time since changes in laws 
and regulations regarding solid waste are not known at this time. MCB 
Camp Lejeune currently has a program in place for source reduction of 
waste and recycling of waste materials. The recycling of waste 
materials could include the composting of wastewater sludge along with 
yard waste, wood waste, and other solid waste materials.
    This action will have no impact on ambient air quality or noise 
levels. No cultural resources listed, or determined eligible for 
listing, on the National Register of Historic Places will be impacted 
by any facility constructed for this project. No impacts to state or 
Federally listed endangered or threatened plant or animal species are 
expected from construction and operation of the landfill.
    Specific measures will be used to control soil movement from 
construction and operation activities. These measures will include 
fabric silt fencing, pervious barriers in drainage ways to reduce 
runoff velocities and retain sediments on site, and the seeding of open 
areas when construction activities have ceased at that location.
    The terrestrial habitat displaced by these facilities is currently 
used in part for training. No significant adverse effects to 
environmentally important habitats will occur. These effects have been 
minimized by the siting decision made during site evaluation and 
various studies.
    About two acres of wetlands are located on the 170 acre site, any 
impact to these wetlands will not occur until the need arises to open 
future cells of the landfill. Proper permits will be obtained and 
mitigation, as required, will be performed prior to disturbing these 
wetlands.
    The proposed action has been evaluated with the respect to 
environmental and social impacts, as well as access to public 
information and an opportunity for public participation in the NEPA 
process as required by Executive Order 12989, ``Federal Actions to 
Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income 
Populations.'' The landfill is consistent with the goals and provisions 
of the Executive Order.
    A Coastal Consistency Determination was prepared for this action 
and concluded that the action is being conducted in a manner consistent 
with the enforceable policies of the North Carolina Coastal Zone 
Management Plan. The North Carolina Division of Coastal Management 
concurs with this determination.
    Preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement began with a 
public scoping process to identify issues that should be addressed in 
the document. Involvement was offered through a public announcement of 
the Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement. This 
Notice was published in the Federal Register on April 29, 1992. Scoping 
letters were sent to 70 addresses. The Notice was also published in the 
Jacksonville Daily News and the Wilmington Star News on October 11-12, 
1992.
    The Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement was published in the Federal Register on October 15, 1993. 
This document was distributed to officials of Federal, state, and local 
government agencies, citizen groups and associations, public libraries, 
and other interested parties. The public review period on the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement was from October 15, 1993 through 
November 29, 1993. A public hearing was held at the Jacksonville Senior 
High School, Jacksonville, North Carolina, on November 16, 1993. A 
small number of comments were received during the comment period. The 
comments centered on the alternative analysis, wetland impacts, and 
landfill design. These comments were addressed in the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement.
    The Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement was published in the Federal Register on December 16, 1994. 
This document was also distributed to officials of Federal, state, and 
local government agencies, citizen groups and associations, public 
libraries, and other interested parties.
    The Department of the Navy believes there are no outstanding issues 
to be resolved with respect to this project. Questions regarding the 
Environmental Impact Statement prepared for this action may be directed 
to Mr. Robert Warren, Environmental Management Department, MCB Camp 
Lejeune, NC 28542, telephone (910) 451-5003.

    March 27, 1995.
Elsie L. Munsell,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Environmental and Safety).
[FR Doc. 95-8063 Filed 3-31-95; 8:45 am]
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