19890337 Ver 1_Complete File_19890101

Comments co
A. PERMIT:
DIVISION OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
WATER QUALITY SECTION
an application for State Federal CAMA Permit(s) from (/1 -S
This office cannot comment on this project until after the close of the Section
401 Certification Public Comments Period.
?(. This office has no objection to the issuance of the permit(s)_for the proposed
/ --project with the following conditions•
That the activity be conducted in such a manner as to prevent significant
increases in turbidity outside.the area of construction or construction-
related discharge (increases of 25 NTU's or less are not considered
significant).
That the instream turbidity not be increased by more than 50 NTU's as a
result of the proposed activity after a reasonable opportunity for dilu-
tion and mixture.
That turbidity levels in shall not be increased
by more than 10 NTU's as a result of the proposed activity after a reason-
able opportunity for dilution and mixture.
B. CERTIFICATION STATUS:,
Certification is not required
for this project.

Certification.,is required for -
this project. Such action to
process the certification has
been inj:tiated.c; Proposed
Certification will be acted on
or after
The proposed project is certified

.,Certification
under General
A) No. 1179 issued on January 25, D) No. 1431 issued on October 16,
1977, for sewer line construction 1980, for boat ramp construction.
B) No, 1272 issued on November 10, E) No. 1664 issued on September 8,
1978, for bulkhead construction. 1983, for Rip-Rap Placement.
No. 1273.issued.on November 10,. F) No. 1665 issued on September 19,
1978, for discharges of liquid 1983, for incidental bridge
effluent from diked upland disposal construction.
areas. /

WATER QUALITY SECTION
DIVISION OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
r
DIVISION OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
MEMORANDUM
DATE : E C
TO: Bill Mills
FIFR Q '-)89
Operations Branch
WATER QUALITY FC!i019
FROM: James H. Gregson T? OPERf? 0€ ,s > ?self( g_F
Wilmington Regional Office
THROUGH: Donald Safrit Original Signed By
D??LD
Wilmington Regional Office SAfRITX
SUBJECT: Regional Office Review & Recommendations
Application for Permit for Excavation and/or Fill
A,7-W!'v
ltltw ?lcrna Lo W
PROJECT DESCRIPTION- ?fceywn?y, Q ?. D. c.7v
ADJACENT WATER BODY: hllohz. et&ja
CLASSIFICATION: SA,
Status: rjd54!F(,j
The project. has been reviewed to determine impacts to water
quality. The appropriate comments below have been checked:
O() The project ill not require a 401 Water Quality
Certification.
(x) The project complies with the General 401 Water Qual ty
Certification # i-273 for 74e%?c??nj? 4
u? (). u,'o J 4kcrt .
(Y) The proposed project should be done in such a way as to
not cause the turbidity outside the immediate
construction area to exceed V! NTU.
This office has no objection to the project as proposed.
JHG:
cc: DCM
CF, WiRO
r

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WILMINGTON DISTHICF. CORPS OF ENGINEERS
P.O. BOX 1890
V iumNGTON. NORTH CAROLINA 28402.1890
January 3, 1989
?--? IN FIEPLY REFER. TO
Planning Division
RECEIVED
JAN q 1989

Mrs. Chrys Baggett, Director
State Clearinghouse
_ Administration Building, Room 535
116 West Jones Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27611
Dear Mrs. Baggett:
Enclosed for your information are 16 copies of the Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for the Atlantic
Intracoastal Waterway, Disposal Areas, Section IV, Tangent 3 (vicinity
of Whiskey Creek) and Adams-Core Creek Land Cut, Ranges H through K,
New Hanover and Craven Counties, North Carolina. This report was
prepared in accordance with the Corps of Engineers' regulations
for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as
amended. I have determined that this project is consistent with the
North Carolina Coastal Management Program.
I request that the Division of Coastal Management review this
document and provide a determination of concurrence/nonconcurrence that
the, proposed project is consistent with the approved Coastal Management
Program of the State of North Carolina and that. the Division of Coastal
Management grant approval to proceed upon receipt of concurrence, rather
than waiting the 90 days specified in 15 CFR 930.41(c).
If you have any questions or comments concerning this document,
please contact Mrs. Trudy Wilder, Environmental Resources Branch, at
[phone].
Sincerely,
Paul W. Woodbury
Colonel, Corps of Engineers
District Engineer
Enclosure (16 Copies)

US Army Corps
of Engineers
Wilmington District -
NOTE: This document is also being circulated by the
State Clearinghouse (SCH89-0570) for NEPA comments.
Please don't forget to respond to both of these
reviews. If you do not have access to the document
circulated by the Clearinghouse, please call me ASAP.
In the future we hope to combine the two circulation
processes but I need to know if there are consistency
reviewers who do not have access or who have problems
with access to Clearinghouse circulated documents.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
AND
FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT (EA/FONSI)
Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway
Disposal Areas
SECTION IV, TANGENT 3 (Vicinity of Whiskey Creek) New Hanover County
ADAMS-CORE CREEK LAND CUT, Ranges H Through K Craven County
North Carolina
JANUARY 1989
CD89-01
r
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
AND
FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT (EA/FONSI)
ATLANTIC INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY
DISPOSAL AREAS
SECTION IV, TANGENT 3 (VICINITY OF WHISKEY CREEK)
ADAMS-CORE CREEK LAND CUT, RANGES H THROUGH K
NEW HANOVER AND CRAVEN COUNTIES, NORTH CAROLINA
JANUARY 3, 1989
1. PURPOSE. This environmental assessment discusses the purpose and need
for the addition of upland diked disposal sites to be used during routine
maintenance dredging of Section IV, Tangent 3 (vicinity of Whiskey Creek),
New Hanover County, and Adams-Core Creek Land Cut, Ranges H through K,
Carteret and Craven Counties, North Carolina (figure 1).
Maintenance dredging of these areas is discussed in the Final
Environmental Impact Statement Maintenance of the Atlantic Intracoastal
Waterway, North Carolina, (FEIS), filed with the Council on Environmental
Quality on November 6, 1975.
2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION.
A. Section IV, Tangent 3 (Vicinity of Whiskey Creek). Maintenance
dredging of this portion of the AIWW involves the removal of approximately
10,000 cubic yards of fine to medium sand to a depth of -14 feet mean-low-
water (mlw). During FY 89 approximately 6,000 cubic yards of material will
be dredged and disposed of within one of the two upland diked disposal sites
adjacent to Tangent 3 as discussed below and shown on figure 2. The area was
last maintained in 1984 and will continue to be maintained on an average of
once every 3 to 5 years. Portions of both disposal sites lie outside the
AIWW right-of-way and will require an easement from the owners prior to use.
B. Adams-Core Creek Land Cut, Ranges H Through K. Maintenance dredging
of the Adams-Core Creek Land Cut involves the dredging of approximately
200,000 cubic yards of fine to medium sand to a depth of -14 mlw once every 4
to 6 years from Range H through K. Approximately 50,000 cubic yards of the
200,000 cubic yards occur in Range H. In FY 89, approximately 50,000 cubic
yards will be disposed of within the upland diked disposal site located
adjacent to Range H (figure 2). The remaining 150,000 cubic yards will be
disposed of within the existing upland diked disposal sites located adjacent
to Range I. The amount disposed of in any one site located in Range I or H
will vary with each dredging event. The disposal sites adjacent to Range I
are discussed in the FEIS, this environmental assessment only discusses the
addition of the disposal site adjacent to Range H (figure 3), which is
located entirely within Craven County.
3. PROPOSED UPLAND DIKED DISPOSAL SITES.
A. Section IV, Tangent 3.
1. Site 1. Site 1, as shown on figure 2, is located adjacent to the
AIWW directly across from the mouth of Whiskey Creek and is approximately 10
acres. The site has been previously diked and used for disposal of material
from the maintenance dredging of the AIWW.
2. Site 2. Site 2, as shown on figure 2, is located approximately
4,800 feet northeast of the mouth of Whiskey Creek adjacent to the AIWW and
is approximately 18 acres. The site has been previously used for disposal of
material from the maintenance dredging of the AIWW.
B. Adams-Core Creek Land Cut, Range H. The disposal site adjacent to
Range H, as shown on figure 3, is approximately 20 acres and has been
previously used for disposal of material from the maintenance dredging of the
AIWW.
4. ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED. The sites described above represent the most
environmentally sound alternatives for dredged material disposal. No other
sites were considered in detail. A no action alternative would result in
continued shoaling of the AIWW in these areas which would restrict
navigation.
5. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED ACTION.
A. Terrestrial Resources.
1. Section IV, Tangent 3 (Vicinity of Whiskey Creek). The proposed
upland diked disposal sites have been previously used for disposal of dredged
material and are sparsely vegetated with shrub thickets, mixed grasses, and
broadleaf plants. The majority of both sites consists of bare sand. Both
sites are surrounded by remnant dikes.
2. Adams-Core Creek Land Cut, Range H. The proposed upland diked
disposal site has been previously used for disposal of dredged material and
consists of predominantly bare sand with approximately 3 acres of the mid-
section vegetated with shrub thickets and mixed grasses. The site is
bordered by remnant dike.
B. Aquatic Resources. Aquatic resources of the AIWW are discussed in
the FEIS. No maintenance of the Adams-Core Creek Land Cut. will occur between
May 1 and October 31 to avoid impacts to migrating pink and white shrimp.
There are no timing restrictions for maintenance dredging of Section IV,
Tangent 3 (vicinity of Whiskey Creek).
2
C. Threatened or Endangered Species. Informal consultation, as put
forth in the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, with the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service provided the
following list of endangered (E) and threatened (T) species to be considered
for project areas.
SPECIES SCIENTIFIC NAME STATUS
bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus E
red-cockaded woodpecker Picoides borealis E
loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta Th
The bald eagle would be expected to occur only as a migrant or winter
resident of the project area. Cue to its mobility, habitat disturbance
resulting from the project should not affect the bald eagle. The red-
cockaded woodpecker is a resident of mature pine forests of the project
region. No pine forest habitat occurs in the project area; therefore, this
species will not be affected.
Loggerhead sea turtles are known to nest on the ocean beaches in North
Carolina between May 1 and November 15. Since no material will be placed on
the beach from the project area, no impact to sea turtles will occur.
The addition of the upland diked disposal sites has been reviewed in
regard to potential impacts to threatened or endangered species. It has been
determined that no impacts to listed species of the project area will occur.
D. Wildlife Resources. Project impacts to wildlife will be minor. The
disposal sites will be checked for nesting colonial waterbirds prior to use;
however, none of the sites have a history of being used for nesting purposes
(Parnell, et al. 1986). If the sites are used for nesting of colonial
waterbirds, disposal of dredged material will be timed to avoid adverse
impacts to the maximum extent practicable.
E. Archeological/Historical Resources. No archeological/historical
survey will be conducted since these areas were created during the initial
construction of the AIWW or have been used historically during maintenance
dredging of the AIWW for the last 20 years or more. No impacts to
archeological/historical resources are expected to occur.
F. Water Quality. The discharge of effluent from the upland diked
disposal sites is covered under Section 401 (P.L. 95-217) Water Quality
Certificate No. 1273 issued on November 10, 1978, and Nationwide Permit 33
CFR 330.5(a)(16). A Section 404(b)(1) evaluation was prepared on November
30, 1978.
The two sites in Section IV, Tangent 3 (vicinity of Whiskey Creek)
are bordered by salt marsh (predominantly. Spartina alterniflora); however, no
significant impact to the surrounding marsh is expected to occur. If the
3
f,
disposal pipe crosses marsh, the pipe will be burlapped to prevent leakage,
if necessary. No marsh fringe exists at the Adams-Core Creek Land Cut, Range
H site. The effluent pipe will be positioned waterward of existing marsh or
vegetation at all three sites.
The majority of Section IV, Tangent 3 (vicinity of Whiskey Creek) is
presently closed to shellfishing which includes the waters adjacent to upland
diked disposal Site 1. The eastern end of Tangent 3 is presently open to
shellfishing including the waters adjacent to upland diked disposal Site 2.
If disposal site 2 is used for disposal of material from within closed
shellfish waters, the North Carolina Division of Health Services, Shellfish
Sanitation Office, Morehead City, North Carolina will be contacted to allow
closure of the area to shellfishing for the duration of dredging and for a
short time (approximately 2 weeks) after work is completed. All of the
Adams-Core Creek Land Cut Ranges are closed to shellfishing. Effluent from
the disposal site located adjacent to Range H will, therefore, be returned to
closed shellfish waters.
No significant mosquito problems are anticipated in conjunction with
the use of the proposed upland diked disposal sites.
Use of the proposed sites will not produce adverse impacts to
groundwater resources. No development exists near the sites.
G. Coastal Management Program. The addition of the proposed upland
diked disposal sites for dredged material disposal is consistent with the
approved Coastal Management Program of the State of North Carolina.
H. North Carolina National Estuarine Sanctuary. The two disposal sites
(Sites 1 and 2) in Section IV, Tangent 3 (vicinity of Whiskey Creek) are
located within the Masonboro Island Component of the N.C. National Estuarine
Sanctuary. Use of the sites for disposal of dredged material is in
accordance with the management policies of the sanctuary.
I. Coastal Barrier Resources System. The two disposal sites (Sites 1
and 2) in Section IV, Tangent 3 (vicinity of Whiskey Creek) are located
within Unit L09 of the Coastal Barrier Resources System. In accordance with
the Coastal Barrier Resources Act of 1982, P.L. 97-348, Sec. 6(a)(2), the
appropriate Federal Officer, after consultation with the Secretary of the
Interior, may make Federal expenditures or financial assistance available
within the Coastal Barrier Resources System for the maintenance of existing
channel improvements and related structures, including the disposal of
dredged materials related to such improvements. Consultation will take place
with the Raleigh Field Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Secretary of the Interior Representative). The proposed action is
consistent with the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, since the action is
disposal of dredged material in existing disposal sites from maintenance of
the existing channel.
4
J. Land Use Plan. The addition of the upland diked disposal sites
adjacent to Section IV, Tangent 3 (vicinity of Whiskey Creek) for dredged
material disposal does not conflict with the Wilmington-New Hanover County
Land Use Plan dated 1987.
The upland diked disposal site adjacent to Adams-Core 'reek, Range H
is located in Craven County, North Carolina. The use of this site for
disposal of dredged material does not conflict with the Craven County Land
Use Plan dated 1987.
6. COORDINATION.
A. The proposed work is discussed in Public Notice CESAW-CO-ND-89-0001
dated September 22, 1988.
B. Representatives from the following agencies were contacted:
1. N.C. Division of Health Services, Shellfish Sanitation Office,
Morehead City, North Carolina.
2. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Raleigh, North Carolina.
3. National Marine Fisheries Service, St. Petersburg, Florida.
7. LIST OF RECIPIENTS.
This Environmental Assessment/Finding of No Significant Impact is being
circulated for information to the following concerned agencies and
individuals.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Forest Service, USDA
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Federal Emergency Management Administration
Center for Environmental Health
National Marine Fisheries Service
State Clearinghouse
U.S. Department of Interior
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Fifth Coast Guard District
Izaac Walton League
Law Library, Wilmington
Federal Highway Administration
Federal Maritime Commission
Craven County, County Manager -
New Hanover County, County Manager
National Audubon Society
National Wildlife Federation
National Park Service
5

North .;roiina Wildlife Federation
Soil Conservation Service
Department of Energy
Environmental Defense Fund
Mr. Ray Brandi, Cape Fear Community College
UNC-Wilmington Library
UNC-Chapel Hill Library
Duke University, Library
Librarian, North Carolina Department of Natural Resources
and Community Development
North Carolina State Library
Sierra Club
Conservation Council of North Carolina
Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company
8.
REFERENCES.
Parnell, J. F., D. M. DuMond, and D. A. McCrimmon. 1986. Colonial
Waterbird Habitats and Nesting Populations in North Carolina
Estuaries: 1983 Survey. U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment
Station, Technical Report D-86-3.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 1975. Final Environmental Impact
Statement, Maintenance of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway.
9. FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT: The proposed action
significantly affect the quality of the human environment;
environmental impact statement will not be prepared.
ate,
Lawrence W. Saunders
Chief, Planning Division
DATE:
Attachments
will not
therefore, an
Paul W. Woodbury
Colonel, Corps of Engineers
District Engineer
DATE: 1?)a4 gg
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TYPICAL SECTION
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O- SITE LOCATION
17C - MILEAGE. MEASURED FROM FOOT OF WEST MAIN
STREET, NORFOLK. Vt.
ATLANTIC INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY
BETWEEN
NORFOLK,VA. AND THE ST. JOHNS RIVER, FLA
(WILMINGTON DISTRICT)
SCALE Or MILES
c rs u
CORPS OF ENGINEERS WILMINGTON,N.C
MAP REVISED SEPTEMBER Ifl?
FIGURE I