Notice2024-22030
Withdrawal of Notice of Intent (NOI) To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Modification of the Bayou Lafourche and Lafourche-Jump Waterway, Louisiana, Navigation Channel Project in Lafourche Parish
Primary source
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Published
September 26, 2024
Issuing agencies
Defense DepartmentEngineers Corps
Abstract
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is issuing this notice to advise Federal, State, and local governmental agencies, and the public that USACE is withdrawing the notice of intent (NOI) for the preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Modification of the Bayou Lafourche and Lafourche-Jump Waterway, Louisiana, Navigation Channel Project in Lafourche Parish, which was published in the Federal Register on November 23, 2016. The Nonfederal Sponsor, the Greater Lafourche Port Commission, drafted an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Feasibility Report, which was submitted to the ASA-CW. In 2020, their EIS had an addendum to adjust the controlling depth of the Bayou Lafourche Waterway Federal navigation channel at Port Fourchon, Louisiana, to an engineering, economic and environmentally feasible depth and extend the main access channel to the natural contour of the Gulf of Mexico at the optimum depth. Since then, there has been a reduction of scope which involves less impacts than was anticipated at the time of the NOI, resulting in moving to an Environmental Assessment.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 187 (Thursday, September 26, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 187 (Thursday, September 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 78851]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-22030]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Withdrawal of Notice of Intent (NOI) To Prepare a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for Modification of the Bayou Lafourche
and Lafourche-Jump Waterway, Louisiana, Navigation Channel Project in
Lafourche Parish
AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent; withdrawal.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is issuing this
notice to advise Federal, State, and local governmental agencies, and
the public that USACE is withdrawing the notice of intent (NOI) for the
preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for
Modification of the Bayou Lafourche and Lafourche-Jump Waterway,
Louisiana, Navigation Channel Project in Lafourche Parish, which was
published in the Federal Register on November 23, 2016. The Nonfederal
Sponsor, the Greater Lafourche Port Commission, drafted an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Feasibility Report, which was
submitted to the ASA-CW. In 2020, their EIS had an addendum to adjust
the controlling depth of the Bayou Lafourche Waterway Federal
navigation channel at Port Fourchon, Louisiana, to an engineering,
economic and environmentally feasible depth and extend the main access
channel to the natural contour of the Gulf of Mexico at the optimum
depth. Since then, there has been a reduction of scope which involves
less impacts than was anticipated at the time of the NOI, resulting in
moving to an Environmental Assessment.
DATES: The notice of intent to prepare an EIS published in the Federal
Register on November 23, 2016 (81 FR 84562), is withdrawn as of
September 26, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New
Orleans District, 7400 Leake Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118-3651.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the withdrawal of the
Notice of Intent can be directed to Jordan Logarbo, (504) 862-1158 at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#367c59445257581844185a5951574454597643455755531857445b4f185b5f5a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7933160b1d1817570b5715161e180b1b16390c0a181a1c57180b140057141015">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The reduction in scope includes the
following: an adjustment of the proposed dredge depth from the previous
proposed maximum dredge depth of -50 ft mean lower low water (MLLW) to
a proposed elevation of -30 ft MLLW for the inland reach plus 3 ft of
advanced maintenance and to -32 ft MLLW for the offshore reach plus 4
ft of advanced maintenance, and the proposed channel deepening would
not require an increase in channel width. The disposal area has also
been changed from a marsh creation project to nearshore disposal on the
west and east sides of the jetties.
The existing maintenance project was authorized for a navigation
channel 300 ft wide with an elevation of -24 ft MLLW on the inland
reach for mile 3.4 to Mile 0.0 and to an elevation of -26 ft MLLW for
the offshore reach from Mile 0.0 to Mile -1.3. The Port Fourchon
Federal navigation channel has been maintained by USACE within the
proposed action dimensions and alignment.
The Federal proposed plan includes deepening and maintenance of the
Port Fourchon Federal navigation channel which was considered through a
50-year period of analysis. The proposed dredging would start at
approximately Station 0+00 and end at approximately Station 330+00.
Deepening would be achieved by the same dredging operation that is
currently used for maintenance. The existing maintenance project was
authorized by WRDA 1996 for a navigation channel 300 ft wide with an
elevation of -24 ft MLLW on the inland reach for mile 3.4 to Mile 0.0
and to an elevation of -26 ft MLLW for the offshore reach from Mile 0.0
to Mile -1.3. The proposed action would dredge the Federal navigation
channel to an elevation of -30 ft MLLW for the inland reach plus 3 ft
of advanced maintenance and to -32 ft MLLW for the offshore reach plus
4 ft of advanced maintenance. The proposed action follows the alignment
of the existing maintenance project and extends to the newly authorized
limits following the natural contour of the Gulf of Mexico. Dredging
would be accomplished with a hydraulic cutter-head dredge and material
excavated would be transported to two (2) sites in a slurry via
pipeline. The two dredge material disposal sites are located on the
exterior of the existing jetties near the intersection with the
existing shoreline. Discharge location would be 200 ft offshore and
would extend 300-3,000 ft from the jetties in the shallow open water
and be allowed to flow.
The study was authorized by section 203 of the Water Resources and
Development Act (WRDA) of 1986 (Pub. L. 99-662) as modified by section
1014 of Water Resources and Reform Development Act (WRRDA) 2014. Also,
by section 1126 of the Water Infrastructure Improvements of the Nation
Act (Pub. L. 114-322) which is also known as WRDA of 2016, and section
1152 of WRDA 2018. Section 203, as amended via the above referenced
provisions, allows non-Federal interests, such as GLPC, to undertake
feasibility studies of proposed navigation projects and submit them to
the (ASA-CW).
The Draft EA was made available for a 30-day public review and
comment period beginning on May 17, 2024 and ending on June 15, 2024
and can be found on the study website at <a href="https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/About/Projects/Port-Fourchon/">https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/About/Projects/Port-Fourchon/</a>.
James A. Bodron,
Program Director, Mississippi Valley Division.
[FR Doc. 2024-22030 Filed 9-25-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
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