Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 197 / Friday, October 10, 2014 / Notices 61337 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

[NPS–NCR–GWMP–16260; 

PX.XGWMP0400.00.1] 

Final Environmental Impact Statement 

for the Dyke Marsh Restoration and 

Long-term Management Plan, George 

Washington Memorial Parkway, 

Virginia 

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability. 

SUMMARY: The National Park Service 

(NPS) announces the availability of a 

Final Environmental Impact Statement 

(FEIS) for the Dyke Marsh Restoration 

and Long-term Management Plan at the 

George Washington Memorial Parkway 

(GWMP), Virginia. The FEIS provides a 

systematic analysis of alternatives for 

the restoration and long-term 

management of the tidal freshwater 

marsh and other associated wetland 

habitats lost or impacted in the Dyke 

Marsh Preserve on the Potomac River. 

DATES: The NPS will execute a Record 

of Decision (ROD) no sooner than 30 

days from the date of publication of the 

Notice of Availability of the FEIS by the 

Environmental Protection Agency. 

ADDRESSES: The FEIS is available in 

electronic format online at the NPS’s 

PEPC Web site (http://parkplanning.

nps.gov/GWMP). A limited number of 

hard copies of the FEIS are available at 

GWMP Park Headquarters, 700 George 

Washington Memorial Parkway, Turkey 

Run Park, McLean, Virginia 22101. You 

may also request a hard copy by 

contacting Alex Romero, 

Superintendent of GWMP by telephone 

at (703) 289–2500. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alex 

Romero, Superintendent, 700 George 

Washington Memorial Parkway, Turkey 

Run Park Headquarters, McLean, 

Virginia 22101; telephone (703) 289– 

2500. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FEIS 

responds to, and incorporates as 

appropriate, agency and public 

comments received on the Draft Plan/

Environmental Impact Statement (draft 

plan/EIS) which was available for 

public review from January 15, 2014 to 

March 18, 2014. A public meeting was 

held on February 26, 2014, to gather 

input on the draft plan/EIS. Over three 

hundred pieces of correspondence were 

received during the public review 

period. Agency and public comments 

and NPS responses are provided in 

Appendix D of the FEIS. 

The FEIS analyzes two action 

alternatives and the no action 

alternative, as described below. 

Alternative A: No Action—under this 

alternative, there would be no 

restoration. Current management of the 

marsh would continue, which includes 

providing basic maintenance related to 

the Haul Road, control of nonnative 

invasive plant species, ongoing 

interpretive and environmental 

education activities, scientific research 

projects, boundary marking, and 

enforcement of existing regulations. 

There would be no manipulation of the 

marsh other than emergency, safetyrelated, or limited improvements or 

maintenance actions. The destabilized 

marsh would continue to erode at an 

accelerated rate. 

Alternative B: Hydrologic Restoration 

and Minimal Wetland Restoration— 

under alternative B, the focus is on the 

most essential actions to reestablish 

hydrologic conditions that shield the 

marsh from erosive currents and protect 

the Hog Island Gut channel and channel 

wall. A breakwater structure would be 

constructed on the south end of the 

marsh, in alignment with the 

northernmost extent of the historic 

promontory, and wetlands would be 

restored to strategic areas where the 

water is less than 4 feet deep. This 

alternative also includes fill of some 

deep channel areas near the breakwater. 

The final element of this alternative is 

the reestablishment of hydrologic 

connections to the inland side of the 

Haul Road to restore bottomland swamp 

forest areas that were cut off when the 

Haul Road was constructed. 

Approximately 30 acres west of the 

Haul Road could be influenced by tidal 

flows as a result. These actions would 

not necessarily happen in any particular 

order, and may be dictated by available 

funds. However, it is assumed that the 

breakwater would be constructed first. 

This alternative would create 

approximately 70 acres of various new 

wetland habitats and allow the 

continued natural accretion of soils and 

establishment of wetlands given the 

new hydrologic conditions. 

Alternative C: Hydrologic Restoration 

and Fullest Possible Extent of Wetland 

Restoration (NPS Preferred 

Alternative)—under alternative C, the 

marsh would be restored in a phased 

approach up to the historic boundary of 

the marsh and other adjacent areas 

within NPS jurisdictional boundaries. 

Phased restoration would continue until 

a sustainable marsh is achieved and the 

overall goals of the project are met. The 

historic boundaries lie between the 

historic promontory and Dyke Island, 

the triangular island off the end of the 

Haul Road. The outer edges of the 

containment cell structures would be 

placed at the park boundary in the river. 

The initial phase of this alternative 

would first establish a breakwater 

structure at the southern alignment of 

the historic promontory to provide 

immediate protection to Dyke Marsh 

from erosion. After the breakwater is 

established, the deep channel areas 

north of the historic promontory would 

be filled within the NPS boundary, and 

the marsh would be restored to the 4- 

foot contour at strategic locations to 

further reduce the risk of erosion and 

storm surges and promote 

sedimentation within the existing 

marsh. Afterwards, two cells would be 

constructed along the northern edge of 

the breakwater, restoring the original 

extent of the promontory’s land mass. 

All subsequent phases would 

establish containment cells out no 

further than the historic marsh 

boundary. The location of these cells 

would be prioritized based on the most 

benefits the specific locations could 

provide to the existing marsh. The 

timing of these subsequent phases and 

the size and number of cells built during 

these phases would be dependent upon 

available funds and materials. 

In addition to the construction of 

containment cells, tidal guts would be 

cut into the restored marsh area that 

would be similar to the historical flow 

channels of the original marsh. This 

alternative, like Alternative B, would 

also introduce breaks in the Haul Road, 

returning tidal flows to approximately 

30 acres west of the Haul Road, which 

would help to re-establish the historic 

swamp forest originally found on the 

site. Additional wetland may be 

restored south of the new breakwater to 

fill out the southernmost historic extent 

of the marsh. This area would not be 

protected from storms, and would be 

one of the last features implemented. In 

total, under this alternative, 

approximately 180 acres of various 

wetland habitats could be created. 

Dated: July 23, 2014. 

Lisa A. Mendelson-Ielmini, 

Acting Regional Director, National Park 

Service, National Capital Region. 

[FR Doc. 2014–24021 Filed 10–9–14; 8:45 am] 

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