[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 164 (Friday, August 23, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 54648]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-21308]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement for the Boston Harbor Navigation Improvement Project
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 (Corps), New England District
is conducting a feasibility study and Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (SEIS) to determine the navigation-related needs of the
harbor, port facilities, and harbor users of Boston Harbor. This study
will analyze deepening various shipping channels in Boston Harbor,
Massachusetts. These include the entrance channel, main ship channel,
Presidents Roads anchorage area, and the lower Reserved Channel, all
from -40 feet mean lower low water (MLLW) up to -50 feet MLLW, the
Chelsea River from -38 feet to -40 feet MLLW, and a portion of the
Mystic River channel from -35 to -40 feet MLLW. Without deepening
portions of Boston Harbor, the ships and port of Boston will be
affected in three ways. (1) Existing shippers and their vessels will
continue to experience tidal related inefficiencies with the current
channel depths, including negating the full advantage of Massport's
deeper 45-foot berths at the Conley Terminal. (2) The port will be
unable to accommodate the very large container vessels now beginning to
serve the east coast of the United States from southern Asia via the
Suez Canal. These vessels will not be able to use Boston efficiently
with the current -40-foot channel depth. (3) As larger container and
bulk vessels continue to come into service to replace existing vessels,
Boston's lack of channel depth will erode its share of tonnage as New
England cargo is redirected to the ports of New York-New Jersey and
Halifax, Nova Scotia, and transported to New England by other means.
Deepening the navigation channels in Boston Harbor would allow Boston
to maintain a safe and efficient port.
DATES: September 5, 2002 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Black Falcon Cruise
Ship Terminal in South Boston, MA.
ADDRESSES: If you wish to be placed on the mailing list for this
project, contact Mr. Michael Keegan, Project Manager, U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers, New England District, Navigation Section, 696 Virginia
Road, Concord, MA 01742.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about the
proposed action and the Draft SEIS, contact Mr. Keegan at (978) 318-
8087.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Corps participation in this study is
authorized by a resolution of the Senate Subcommittee on Public Works
dated September 12, 1969. This study was initiated at the request of
the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), the study sponsor, using
funds provided in the Fiscal Year 2000 Energy and Water Development
Appropriations Bill.
Major navigation channel improvements (deepening) were made in 1999
through 2002 in the Reserved Channel, the Mystic River, Inner
Confluence and the Chelsea River. A final Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) was prepared for the previous navigation improvement
project in June of 1995. The current study would investigate the
feasibility of deepening the main shipping channels in the port of
Boston to a depth greater than the current authorized depths. This
study, which will include the preparation of SEIS to the 1995 Record of
Decision, will examine the engineering feasibility, economic
justification, social and cultural resource impacts, and environmental
acceptability of the proposed channel deepening. The existing -40-foot
MLLW main harbor entrance channel from Broad Sound, through President
Roads, and up to the Marine Terminal just seaward of the Ted Williams
Tunnel will be examined for depths up to -50 feet MLLW, as will the
Reserved Channel. Deepening of a small area of the Mystic River Channel
upstream of the Moran Terminal, from the current -35-foot depth to -40
feet will also be examined, as will deepening the Chelsea River Channel
from the current -38-foot depth to -40 feet.
Alternatives: Dredging alternatives would examine the incremental
depths from -40-feet to -50-feet MLLW (-38 feet in Chelsea River, and -
35 feet in portions of the Mystic River) to determine the optimum
economic plan. In addition, disposal alternatives would be determined
based on the suitability of the material for open water disposal.
Material suitable for ocean disposal would likely be disposed at the
Massachusetts Bay Disposal Site. Material unsuitable for ocean disposal
would most likely be disposed within a confined aquatic disposal (CAD)
cell within the federal navigation channels above the Ted Williams
Tunnel. The draft and final EIS for the previous Boston Harbor
navigation improvement project investigated other alternative disposal
sites for the disposal of dredged material.
The study will take about three years to complete and Massport and
the Corps will share the study cost.
Scoping: Full public participation by interested federal, state,
and local agencies as well as other interested organizations and the
general public is invited. All interested parties are encouraged to
submit their names and addresses (see ADDRESSES), to be placed on the
mailing list for reviewing any fact sheets, newsletters, and related
public notices. Massport will host a public meeting on the study on
September 5, 2002 (see DATES). The public is invited to attend and
further identify issues that should be addressed in the SEIS.
Dated: August 12, 2002.
Thomas L. Koning,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, New England District.
[FR Doc. 02-21308 Filed 8-22-02; 8:45 am]
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