OP-N-18-01 - Baltimore Harbor and Channels, Maryland

Published April 16, 2018
Expiration date: 5/15/2018

 

CENAB-OP                                                                                                                           16 April 2018

 

 

SUBJECT:  Baltimore Harbor and Channels, Maryland ‑ Proposed Maintenance Dredging of the Curtis Bay Channel, Cutoff Angle, Craighill Upper Range, Craighill Angle, Craighill Channel, Craighill Entrance

 

                                          PUBLIC NOTICE – CENAB-OP‑N-18-01

 

 

Pursuant to Sections 313 and 404 of the Clean Water Act of 1977 (33 USC 1323 and 1344), NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT PENDING THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS, the Baltimore District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, proposes to perform maintenance dredging of the Baltimore Harbor & Channels Federal navigation project during calendar years 2018 and 2019.

 

The plans and location of the proposed work are shown on the enclosed map.  The proposed work consists of maintenance dredging the following channels to the following dimensions: Curtis Bay Channel to a depth of 50 feet and width of 300 to 1,280 feet; Cutoff Angle to a depth of 52 feet and width of 700 to 1,740 feet; Craighill Upper Range to a depth of 52 feet and width of 700 feet; Craighill Angle to a depth of 52 feet and width of 700 to 1,860 feet; Craighill Channel to a depth of 52 feet and width of 700 feet; and Craighill Entrance to a depth of 52 feet and width of 700 feet.  The dredging includes one to two feet of advanced maintenance dredging and one foot of allowable overdepth dredging.  Due to the imprecise nature of dredging operations, the dredging contractor may remove excess material beyond the limits described above in some areas and may not remove all material in other areas.

 

Approximately 1,910,000 cubic yards of material consisting primarily of sand, mud, silt, shell, and mixtures thereof will be dredged by clamshell and scow.  The State of Maryland will provide the Paul S. Sarbanes Ecosystem Restoration Project at Poplar Island, located in the eastern Chesapeake Bay near Tilghman Island, Talbot County, Maryland for placement of an estimated 1,510,000 cubic yards of material.  The material placed at Poplar Island will be removed from Cutoff Angle, Craighill Upper Range, Craighill Angle, Craighill Channel, and Craighill Entrance.  The State of Maryland will also provide the 115 acre Masonville Dredge Material Containment Facility (DMCF), located in Anne Arundel County, for the placement of an estimated 400,000 cubic yards of material from proposed dredging of Curtis Bay.  In order to maximize drying and consolidation of the material at the placement sites, dredging will be scheduled to take place between October 1, 2018 and March 31, 2019.

 

A preliminary review of this work and previous evaluations of historical dredging and placement operations for the Baltimore Harbor project has been completed.  The review indicates that the proposed work will not adversely affect listed species or their critical habitat pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, as amended.

 

 

 

 

CENAB-OP

SUBJECT:  Baltimore Harbor and Channels, Maryland ‑ Proposed Maintenance Dredging of Curtis Bay, Cutoff Angle, Craighill Upper Range, Craighill Angle, Craighill Channel, and Craighill Entrance Channel

 

 

The proposed maintenance dredging will comply with and will be conducted in a manner consistent with the approved Maryland Coastal Zone Management Program.  Any comments regarding the consistency determination should be sent to the Maryland Department of the Environment, 1800 Washington Blvd, Baltimore, Maryland 21230-1708, within 30 days of the date of this notice.  The proposed work is being coordinated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Department of Commerce, National Marine Fisheries Service; and the Maryland Departments of the Environment, Natural Resources, Transportation, Maryland Port Administration, Housing and Community Development, and Business and Economic Development.

 

Designation of the proposed placement site for the dredged material associated with this Federal project shall be made through the application of guidelines promulgated by the Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with the Secretary of the Army.  If these guidelines alone prohibit the designation of the proposed placement site, any potential impairment to the maintenance of navigation including any economic impact on navigation and anchorage which would result from the failure to use this placement site will also be considered.

 

Previous cultural resources reconnaissance surveys and intensive marine surveys have indicated that there are no historically significant artifacts in the proposed work area.  A review of the latest published version of the National Register of Historic Places indicates that there are no registered properties or properties listed as eligible for inclusion therein located at the proposed work sites.  Currently unknown archaeological, scientific, prehistoric, or historical data may be lost or destroyed by the proposed work.

 

The decision whether to accomplish the work proposed in this public notice will be based on an evaluation of the probable impact, including cumulative impacts, of the proposed work on the public interest.  The decision will reflect the national concern for the protection and utilization of important resources.  The benefits which reasonably may be expected to accrue from the proposal must be balanced against its reasonably foreseeable detriments.  All factors which may be relevant to the proposal will be considered; among those are conservation, economics, aesthetics, energy needs, general environmental concerns, fish and wildlife values, wetlands, historic and cultural values, navigation, shoreline erosion and accretion, water quality, flood hazards, flood plain values, land use, recreation, safety, food production, and in general, the needs and the welfare of the people.  The work will not be accomplished unless it is found to be in the public interest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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CENAB-OP

SUBJECT:  Baltimore Harbor and Channels, Maryland ‑ Proposed Maintenance Dredging of Curtis Bay, Cutoff Angle, Craighill Upper Range, Craighill Angle, Craighill Channel, and Craighill Entrance Channel

 

 

Any person who has an interest which may be affected by the placement of this dredged material may request a public hearing.  The request must be submitted in writing to the District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, 2 Hopkins Plaza, Baltimore, Maryland 21201

within 30 days of the date of this notice and must clearly set forth the interest which may be affected and the manner in which the interest may be affected by this activity.  Please contact Mr. Kevin Mainquist at (410) 962‑6030 if there are any questions regarding the proposed work.

                                               

Any written comments or questions regarding water quality considerations involved with this project should be directed to the Maryland Department of the Environment, Wetlands and Waterways Program, 1800 Washington Blvd, Suite 430, Baltimore, Maryland 21230-1708 within 30 days of the date of this notice.

 

 

 

 

                                                                        WILLIAM P. SEIB

                                                                         Acting Chief, Operations Division

 

Enclosure

Map of Dredging and Placement Areas