20160988 Ver 1_USACE Response to Comments_20161018

Strickland, Bev
From:Hughes, Emily B SAW <[e-mail]>
Sent:Tuesday, October 18, 2016 4:08 PM
To:Karla Reece - NOAA Federal
Cc:Huggett, Doug; Govoni, Daniel; [e-mail]; Ellis, John; Ken Riley - NOAA
Federal; Deaton, Anne; Higgins, Karen; Dunn, Maria T.; [e-mail];
Broughton, Jimmy; Dittmar, John R CDR; James, Eunice A LT; McAloon, Scott BOSN4;
Bobby Outten; Peele, Robert J; Jenny Gray Jones; Hill, Patricia J CAPT; Keistler, Robert
W SAW; Bullock, Roger D SAW; Owens, Jennifer L SAW; Pruitt, Carl E SAW; Brown,
Daniel S SAW; Medlock, James M SAW; Horton, James T SAW; Petersen, Joen SAW;
[e-mail]
Subject:RE: \[EXTERNAL\] Re: Public Notice for Wanchese Harbor Entrance Channel Emergency
Dredging
Attachments:SAW99-BO-govt dredge plant.pdf
Hi Karla,

Thanks for the green light on this. To explain, the Government owned hopper dredges we will be using are small in size,
and do not require ESOs or any other conservation measures. Attached is the 1999 NMFS Biological Opinion that
confirms that the activity is not expected to adversely affect sea turtles. This is based on the following:

-Slow speed (1-3 knots)
-Low suction levels/pump pressures
-Small size of dragheads with small openings (3" x 5")

The 1999 document specifically references the dredge CURRITUCK, we did not own the dredge MURDEN at the time.
However, the MURDEN is actually smaller than the CURRITUCK. To date, neither vessel has ever taken an endangered
species. For these reasons, hopper dredging in the Wanchese Entrance Channel will be carried out without need of
species observers.

We appreciate your concerns and assistance in this critical time of need. I will certainly contact you if there are any
reports of listed species sightings or encounters.

Sincerely,

Emily Hughes
Environmental Resources Section
Wilmington District
US Army Corps of Engineers
69 Darlington Ave.
Wilmington, NC 28403

[phone]
[e-mail] <mailto:[e-mail]>

-----Original Message-----
From: Karla Reece - NOAA Federal \[mailto:[e-mail]\]
1

Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2016 1:34 PM
To: Hughes, Emily B SAW <[e-mail]>
Cc: Huggett, Doug <[e-mail]>; Daniel Govoni ([e-mail])
<[e-mail]>; [e-mail]; Ellis, John <[e-mail]>; Ken Riley - NOAA Federal
<[e-mail]>; [e-mail]; Higgins, Karen <[e-mail]>; Dunn, Maria T.
<[e-mail]>; [e-mail]; [e-mail]; Dittmar, John R CDR
<[e-mail]>; James, Eunice A LT <[e-mail]>; McAloon, Scott BOSN4
<[e-mail]>; Bobby Outten <[e-mail]>; Robert Peele ([e-mail])
<[e-mail]>; Jenny Gray Jones <[e-mail]>; Hill, Patricia J CAPT <[e-mail]>;
Keistler, Robert W SAW <[e-mail]>; Bullock, Roger D SAW
<[e-mail]>; Owens, Jennifer L SAW <[e-mail]>; Pruitt, Carl E SAW
<[e-mail]>; Brown, Daniel S SAW <[e-mail]>; Medlock, James M SAW
<[e-mail]>; Horton, James T SAW <[e-mail]>; Petersen, Joen SAW
<[e-mail]>; [e-mail]
Subject: \[EXTERNAL\] Re: Public Notice for Wanchese Harbor Entrance Channel Emergency Dredging

Hi Emily,

Please proceed with the emergency work described in your email and attachments.

Once the emergency work is completed, please notify me to inform us if threatened or endangered species have been
adversely affected by this action. If so, we will conduct a formal consultation after the fact.

In the meantime, please advise if the hopper dredging will be carried out using species observers. Please also tell me
about any other conservation measures or Best Management Practices that will be used during the emergency
response.

I will send you a NMFS Project Number to refer to in any correspondence about this action shortly.

For future emergencies, please remember to email your Emergency Consultation Request to our Emergency email:
[e-mail] <mailto:[e-mail]> Anything sent to that
account is immediately routed to the appropriate staff.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thank you,
Karla

--

><((((º>´¯`·.¸¸.><((((º>¸.·´¯`·.¸><((((º>´¯`·.¸¸..><((((º>

Karla Reece
Section 7 Team Lead
2

National Marine Fisheries Service
Southeast Regional Office
Protected Resources
263 13th Ave. S.
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
phone: [phone]
fax: [phone]
email: [e-mail] <mailto:[e-mail]>

On Mon, Oct 17, 2016 at 4:47 PM, Hughes, Emily B SAW <[e-mail]
<mailto:[e-mail]> > wrote:

Good day,

Please see the attached Public Notice to conduct emergency dredging in the Wanchese Harbor Entrance
Channel. I have included a scanned signed document and an unsigned version that is more favorable for enlarging
details and small print. We appreciate everybody's attention and urgency on this matter, and hope to have Wanchese
Harbor operating back to normal again soon.

Please contact me if you have any questions regarding this Public Notice.

Thank you,

Emily Hughes

Environmental Resources Section
Wilmington District
US Army Corps of Engineers
69 Darlington Ave.
Wilmington, NC 28403

[phone]
[e-mail] <mailto:[e-mail]>

--

><((((º>´¯`·.¸¸.><((((º>¸.·´¯`·.¸><((((º>´¯`·.¸¸..><((((º>

Karla Reece
Section 7 Team Lead
National Marine Fisheries Service
Southeast Regional Office
Protected Resources
263 13th Ave. S.
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
phone: [phone]
3

fax: [phone]
email: [e-mail] <mailto:[e-mail]>

4