Notice2024-14552
Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the San Clemente Shoreline Protection Project
Primary source
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Published
July 2, 2024
Issuing agencies
Defense DepartmentEngineers Corps
Abstract
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) intends to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to evaluate further dredging of suitable beach nourishment sediment associated with the construction of the San Clemente Shoreline Protection Project, a coastal storm risk management project, and include an additional borrow area(s) to obtain beach compatible sediment for future renourishments. This SEIS will supplement the San Clemente Shoreline Protection Project Final Feasibility Report and Joint Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report dated February 2012 (FR/EIS/EIR), San Clemente Shoreline Protection Project Supplemental Environmental Assessments (SEA) prepared in 2023, and San Clemente Shoreline Protection Project Revised SEA prepared in 2024. The SEIS will not reformulate the broad array of alternatives previously examined in the FR/EIS/EIR and SEAs but will consider reasonable alternatives received during the scoping process. Mitigation will be considered as required for any additional impacts addressed in the SEIS.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 127 (Tuesday, July 2, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 127 (Tuesday, July 2, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54802-54803]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14552]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
for the San Clemente Shoreline Protection Project
AGENCY: Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) intends to prepare a
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to evaluate further
dredging of suitable beach nourishment sediment associated with the
construction of the San Clemente Shoreline Protection Project, a
coastal storm risk management project, and include an additional borrow
area(s) to obtain beach compatible sediment for future renourishments.
This SEIS will supplement the San Clemente Shoreline Protection Project
Final Feasibility Report and Joint Final Environmental Impact
Statement/Environmental Impact Report dated February 2012 (FR/EIS/EIR),
San Clemente Shoreline Protection Project Supplemental Environmental
Assessments (SEA) prepared in 2023, and San Clemente Shoreline
Protection Project Revised SEA prepared in 2024. The SEIS will not
reformulate the broad array of alternatives previously examined in the
FR/EIS/EIR and SEAs but will consider reasonable alternatives received
during the scoping process. Mitigation will be considered as required
for any additional impacts addressed in the SEIS.
DATES: To ensure consideration, all comments concerning the scope of
the SEIS must be received on or before August 1, 2024.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the SEIS by any of the
following methods: Mail: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles
District, 915 Wilshire Boulevard (Attn: CESPL-PDR-L San Clemente), Los
Angeles, California 90017 or Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e08b858e8e859488ce978f8e87a09593818385ce81928d99ce8d898c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="94fff1fafaf1e0fcbae3fbfaf3d4e1e7f5f7f1baf5e6f9edbaf9fdf8">[email protected]</span></a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth Wong, Planning Division, USACE
Los Angeles District, (213) 361-2269, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4e252b20202b3a2660392120290e3b3d2f2d2b602f3c233760232722"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6308060d0d06170b4d140c0d042316100200064d02110e1a4d0e0a0f">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background: The project was authorized by the Water Resources
Reform and Development Act of 2014, Public Law 113-121, section 7002
for the purpose of reducing coastal storm damages by constructing a
beach fill/berm along the San Clemente shoreline. The authorized
project includes construction of an approximate 50-foot-wide beach
nourishment project along a 3,412-foot-long stretch of shoreline using
beach compatible sediment, with renourishment on the average of every 6
years over a 50-year period of federal participation. The authorization
did not identify a specific borrow site for the beach fill; however, it
identified that the site(s) would be off the coast of San Diego County
(e.g., Oceanside). The project is further described in the Final
Feasibility Report and Final Environmental Impact Statement dated
February 2012 (FR/EIS/EIR); supplemental environmental assessment (SEA)
dated May 2023; and SEA dated March 2024. Construction of the project
was initiated in December 2023. However, due in part to equipment
damage and sediment compatibility issues encountered at the Oceanside
borrow area, construction was temporarily paused. To allow for
operational flexibility, the 2024 SEA evaluated inclusion of the
Surfside-Sunset borrow area, a 106-acre borrow site offshore Surfside-
Sunset beaches located 29 miles to the north of San Clemente in Orange
County, as an alternate borrow site for initial construction of the
project.
After the 2024 SEA's FONSI was signed (March 18, 2024), further
analysis indicated that continued use of the Surfside-Sunset borrow
site to complete initial construction of the
[[Page 54803]]
project could result in significant effects on air quality due to the
duration of dredging operations, including time and distance required
to transport sediment from Surfside-Sunset to San Clemente Beach.
Therefore, a SEIS is needed to evaluate potential significant impacts
to air quality associated with further use of Surfside-Sunset to
complete initial construction. Furthermore, the 2024 SEA only evaluated
use of Surfside-Sunset to complete initial construction but not further
use of the borrow area for future renourishments. The SEIS will also
evaluate use of Surfside-Sunset for future renourishments.
2. Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action: The purpose of the
proposed action is to identify borrow sites with sufficient beach
compatible sediment required to complete all the planned beach
nourishments for the authorized coastal storm risk management project.
The need for the project is to protect public properties and private
structures currently susceptible to damages caused by erosion
(including land loss and undermining of structures), inundation
(structures), and wave attack (structures, railroad).
3. Proposed Action: The proposed action is to identify suitable
location(s) containing enough beach compatible sediment required to
nourish San Clemente Beach and complete the coastal storm risk
management project.
4. Alternatives: The alternatives currently identified include the
preferred alternative and the no-action alternative. The preferred
alternative includes the use of Surfside-Sunset borrow area in addition
to the Oceanside borrow area to nourish San Clemente Beach on the
average of every 6 years over the 50-year period of federal
participation. The No Action Alternative is defined as continued use of
only the Oceanside borrow area to complete the coastal storm risk
management project; the Surfside-Sunset borrow area would not be used
further. During scoping and development of the SEIS, USACE will
determine if there are any additional borrow areas with suitable
sediment in the general vicinity of the San Clemente Beach placement
site in addition to Oceanside and Surfside-Sunset borrow areas that
should be evaluated in the SEIS.
5. Summary of Potential Impacts.
Air Quality: Continued use of the Surfside-Sunset borrow area would
result in emissions within the South Coast Air Basin where the borrow
area, vessel transit corridor, and placement sites are located. The
South Coast Air Basin is in extreme nonattainment for ozone. Pursuant
to 40 CFR 93.153(b)(1), the applicability rates for ozone precursors
volatile organic carbon (VOC) and nitrogen oxides (NO<INF>X</INF>) are
each 10 tons per year. The total of direct and indirect emissions of
NO<INF>X</INF> for the continued use of the borrow area to complete
construction and for future renourishments would exceed the
applicability rate for NO<INF>X</INF>.
Biological Resources: The Surfside-Sunset borrow area as well as
the vessel transit corridor for the hopper dredge to the San Clemente
Beach placement site is located within a larger area identified by the
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) as essential for transit of
green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas), a species protected under the
Endangered Species Act. Potential effects include entrainment and
vessel collision. The borrow area and vessel transit corridor are also
located within a proposed critical habitat for the species which is
expected to be finalized in the summer of 2024. Significant adverse
effects to the forthcoming designated critical habitat are not
expected.
6. Scoping Process.
a. Scoping will afford all interested parties an opportunity to
provide comment on the proposed scope of analysis in the draft
document. A scoping meeting will not be held. Comments on scoping,
including potential alternatives, pertinent information, studies, and/
or analyses, relevant to the proposed action may be submitted to the
contacts listed above. If any reasonable alternatives are identified
during the scoping period, USACE will evaluate those alternatives in
the draft SEIS, along with the No Action Alternative.
b. This NOI commences the public scoping process to identify issues
and potential alternatives for consideration in the SEIS. Throughout
the scoping process, federal agencies; tribal, state, and local
governments; and the public can help USACE identify significant
resources and issues, impact-producing factors, reasonable
alternatives, and potential mitigation measures to be analyzed in the
SEIS, as well as to provide additional information. Comments received
in response to this NOI, including names and addresses of those who
comment, will be part of the public record. Comments submitted
anonymously will be accepted and considered. Before including your
address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying
information in your comment, be advised that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly
available at any time. While commenters can request their personal
identifying information be withheld from public review, it cannot be
guaranteed that this will be able to be accomplished.
7. Anticipated Permits and Other Authorizations. The USACE is
anticipating that the proposed action would require a permit pursuant
to section 401 of the Clean Water Act and application of section
404(b)(1) guidelines. Other environmental review and consultation
requirements include, but are not limited to, the National Historic
Preservation Act, Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act, Fish and
Wildlife Coordination Act, Coastal Zone Management Act, Magnuson-Steven
Fisheries Conservation Management Act, Marine Protection Research and
Sanctuaries Act, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
8. Schedule for the Decision-Making Process. After the draft SEIS
is completed, the USACE will publish a notice of availability (NOA) and
request public comments on the draft SEIS. USACE anticipates issuing
the NOA in July 2024. After the public comment period ends, the USACE
will review and respond to comments received and will develop the final
SEIS. USACE anticipates making the final SEIS available to the public
in September or October 2024. A ROD will be completed no sooner than 30
days after the final SEIS is released, in accordance with 40 CFR
1506.11(b)(2).
David R. Hibner,
Programs Director.
[FR Doc. 2024-14552 Filed 7-1-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
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