HomeMy WebLinkAbout20061109 Ver 1_PUBLIC NOTICE_20180301Issue Date: March 1, 2018
Comment Deadline: April 2, 2018
Corps Action ID Number: SAW -2009-00293
All interested parties are hereby advised that the Wilmington District, Corps of Engineers
(Corps) is releasing the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the project,
known as Bogue Banks Master Beach Nourishment Project (BBMBNP), and has received
an application from Carteret County requesting Department of the Army authorization to
implement a long-term management plan to provide shoreline protection along the
approximately 25 -mile Bogue Banks barrier island, Carteret County, North Carolina.
Management components include the use of an offshore borrow area for periodic
nourishment along approximately 18 miles of Pine Knoll Shores, Salter Path, Indian
Beach, and Emerald Isle, with potential supplemental nourishment along approximately 5
miles of Atlantic Beach if needed. The plan also consists of the maintenance of Bogue
Inlet ebb tide channel within a "safe box" zone to protect the inlet shoreline of Emerald
Isle. Specific details and location information are described below and shown on the
attached plan. The Final EIS can be found on our webpage at
http://Nvww.saw.usace.army.mil/Missions/Re_ulatooPermitProgram/MajorProjects, click
on "Bogue Banks Master Beach Nourishment Project: Corps ID# SAW -2009-00293.
This same Public Notice is also available on the Wilmington District Web Site at
/hvww.salv.usace.armv.nu.IlWetlands/Notices/Current notices.html.
Applicant: Carteret County
Attn: Mr. Greg Rudolph, Carteret County Shore Protection office
Post Office Box 4297
Emerald Isle, North Carolina 28594
Engineer Consultant: Moffatt & Nichol
Attn: Mr. Johnny Martin
4700 Falls of Neuse Road, Suite 300
Raleigh, North Carolina 27609
Authority
The Corps evaluates this application and decides whether to issue, conditionally issue, or
deny the proposed work pursuant to applicable procedures of the following Statutory
Authorities:
® Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344)
® Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403)
❑ Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972
(33 U.S.C. 1413)
Location
The project site comprises all of the municipalities on Bogue Banks, along with the
Bogue Inlet Complex, and encompasses approximately 23 miles of the island, including
the potential supplemental nourishment area of Atlantic Beach, in Carteret County, North
Carolina.
Nearest Towns: Pine Knoll Shores, Indian Beach, Salter Path, Emerald Isle, and Atlantic
Beach
Nearest Waterway: Atlantic Ocean, Bogue Inlet, and the Intracoastal Waterway
Latitude and Longitude: 34.68854 N, -76.86854 W
Existing Site Conditions
The barrier island of Bogue Banks is located entirely within the boundary of Carteret
County and is a south -facing island flanked by the undeveloped Bear Island (Hammocks
Beach State Park) to the west, separated by Bogue Inlet, and the undeveloped
Shackleford Banks Island (part of Cape Lookout National Seashore) to the east, separated
by Beaufort Inlet. This approximately 25 -mile island contains the four incorporated
municipalities of Atlantic Beach, Pine Knoll Shores, Indian Beach, and Emerald Isle; the
unincorporated town of Salter Path under County jurisdiction; and the approximately 2.0
mile stretch of North Carolina lands of Fort Macon. It is bordered to the west by Bogue
Inlet, which is the mouth of the White Oak River; to the east by Beaufort Inlet, which is
the mouth of the Newport River; to the north by Bogue Sound, which includes the
Intracoastal Waterway; and to the south by the Atlantic Ocean. Both Bogue and Beaufort
Inlets are federally authorized navigational channels and are periodically maintained with
all beach compatible material being placed along the oceanfront shoreline and all
incompatible material placed on designated disposal island(s). The island is a typical
barrier island that has undergone a variety of natural and anthropogenic changes. The
majority of the residential and commercial land has been developed, with the exception
of Fort Macon State Part to the east and the Roosevelt Preserve in Pine Knoll Shores.
The island has undergone several decades of receiving beach fill along the oceanfront by
both federal and non-federal projects.
Applicant's Stated Purpose
Basic Purpose: The stated purpose for this proposal is to establish and implement a
comprehensive, long-term, non-federal beach and inlet management program that would
preserve Bogue Banks' tax base, protect its infrastructure, and maintain its tourism -based
economy. The proposed action is to address the ongoing trend of declining federal shore
protection funding by establishing a non-federal management program under the
autonomous control of the County and the island municipalities.
Overall PuiTose: The island wide regional strategy was developed to do the following: 1)
Establish a regional approach by consolidating local community resources, both
financially and logistically, to manage Bogue Inlet and the beaches on Bogue Banks in an
effective manner, 2) Provide long-term shoreline protection stabilization and an
equivalent level of protection along Bogue Banks' 25 -mile oceanfront/inlet shorelines
addressing long-term erosion, 3) Provide long-term protection to Bogue Banks' tourism
industry, 4) Provide short and long-term protection to residential and commercial
structures and island infrastructure, 5) Provide long-term protection to the local tax base
by the protection of existing and future tax bases and public access/use, 6) Maintain and
improve natural resources along Bogue Banks' oceanfront and inlet shoreline by using
compatible beach material in compliance with the North Carolina State Sediment Criteria
for shore protection, 7) Maintain and improve recreational uses of Bogue Banks'
oceanfront/inlet shorelines, 8) Maintain navigation conditions within Bogue Inlet, and 9)
Balance the needs of the human environment with the protection of existing natural
resources.
Project Description
Within the County's preferred alternative, known as Alternative 4 (or the BBMBNP), the
County, through an interlocal agreement, would manage all of the approximately 18
miles of beaches along Pine Knoll Shores, Indian Beach/Salter Path, and Emerald Isle,
along with the eastern shoreline of Bogue Inlet, through the implementation of the
comprehensive 50 -year beach nourishment plan. Atlantic Beach is also a party to the
agreement; however, it is the on-going recipient of regular Corps placements of
navigation dredged material from the Morehead City Harbor (MCH) channels and has
been for nearly two decades. The County is not anticipating any maintenance sand
placement on Atlantic Beach under its management plan, but the plan would provide
interim maintenance nourishment events along Atlantic Beach should the federal MCH
placement cease or if storm -related needs arise.
The 50 -year management plan would employ a regular and recurring cycle of
nourishment events, in combination with periodic realignments of the Bogue Inlet ebb
tide channel, to continuously maintain beach profile sand volumes at a 25 -year Level of
Protection (LOP). This LOP equates to protection for upland structures against a 25 -year
storm event, and nourishment events would be implemented according to 25 -year LOP
beach profile volumetric triggers. Volumetric triggers were developed by analyzing and
adjusting design beach profiles in a series of iterative SBEACH numerical modeling runs.
The final modeling results indicated appropriate volumetric triggers ranging from 211-
266 cubic yards/foot along Bogue Banks, averaging 238 cubic yards/foot. Based on
variability in the volumetric triggers, the project shoreline was divided into management
reaches ranging in length from 2.4 to 4.5 miles. Reaches include Pine Knoll Shores,
Indian Beach/Salter Path, Emerald Isle (EI) East, EI Central, El West, and Bogue Inlet.
Based on the SBEACH modeling results and observed background erosional loss rates,
EI Central, EI West, and Bogue Inlet management reaches are expected to require
recurring nourishment of approximately 0.06 to 0.23 million cubic yards of material at
intervals of six or nine years to offset background erosion. For Pine Knoll Shores, Indian
Beach/Salter Path, and EI East, recurring maintenance events would place approximately
0.2 to 0.5 million cubic yards of material at intervals of three or six years to offset
background erosion. Actual maintenance nourishment intervals would be expected to
vary in response to background erosion rate variability over the course of the 50 -year
project.
For Bogue Inlet management, the proposal has designated a "safe box" within the inlet
throat where the ebb channel would be allowed to migrate freely so long as it remains
within the boundaries of the safe box. If the channel migrates beyond the eastern
boundary of the safe box (or toward Emerald Isle), this would trigger a preemptive event
to realign the ebb channel mid -center within the established boundary. The limits of the
safe box were developed and evaluated through empirical analysis of historical inlet
changes and supplemental numerical modeling. Historical ebb channel alignments and
corresponding inlet shoreline positions were analyzed through GIS analysis of historical
aerial photography, National Ocean Service (NOS) T -sheet maps, and LIDAR
topographic maps. Past migration rates and corresponding shoreline changes indicate
that once eastward migration accelerates toward Emerald Isle, the migrating channel has
the potential to threaten structures along the shoreline within two to three years. Based
on the historical patterns, a safe box was established with boundaries corresponding to
the location where acceleration of the ebb channel towards the west end of Emerald Isle
has occurred in the past. The validity of the boundaries were then evaluated by modeling
a series of six idealized inlet configurations encompassing the range of most relevant
historical ebb channel alignments. Modeling results did not show any additional
geomorphological indicators of an impending shift to accelerated migration that
warranted modifications to the initial safe box. Once the boundary threshold is triggered,
the relocation event would entail the construction of a channel approximately 6,000 -feet
long with variable bottom widths ranging from 150 to 500 feet. The dimensions of the
channel would be similar to the footprint of the ebb tide channel realignment construction
completed in 2005. Maintenance events of Bogue Inlet are expected approximately every
ten to fifteen years, with corresponding placement of dredged material on the beaches of
Emerald Isle.
Beach fill for all the proposed nourishment activities on Bogue Banks would be acquired
from a combination of sources including offshore borrow sites, Atlantic Intracoastal
Waterway disposal areas, upland sand mines, and the management of the Bogue Inlet.
The offshore borrow sites consist of the Old Offshore Dredge Material Disposal Site
(ODMDS) and the current ODMDS, which are located approximately 3 nautical miles
offshore from Beaufort Inlet, and Area Y, which is located over 1.0 mile offshore from EI
West reach. It is expected that hopper dredge plants will be used to extract beach fill
material from the offshore borrow sites. Material would be transported from the hopper
dredges to offshore booster pumps and carried to the appropriate nourishment reaches via
pipeline. A hydraulic cutterhead dredge will likely be used during the management of the
inlet bar channel event, which would transport the dredge material directly from the
dredge plant onto the beach via pipelines.
Avoidance and Minimization
The County's proposed BBMBNP encompasses several initial avoidance and
minimization measures to help minimize potential impacts, and these measures are
outlined in Chapter 6 of the FEIS. Some of these measures include the use of compatible
beach sediment that meets the North Carolina Technical Standards for Beach Projects
(15A NCAC 07H .0312) and limiting construction activity to the period from November
16 to April 31 when biological activity is at its lowest and sea turtle nesting season can be
avoided.
Essential Fish Habitat
Pursuant to the Magnuson -Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Corps
initiated Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) consultation and has submitted an EFH
Assessment to the National Marines Fisheries Service (NMFS) Habitat Conservation
Division for their review. Consultation is on-going.
Cultural Resources
Coordination with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) has occurred during the
development of the project for compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act
and is on-going.
Endangered Species
Pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the Corps has requested the
initiation of formal consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and
the NMFS Protected Resources Division due to the presence of specific species listed as
threatened or endangered and their critical habitat (CH) within the project area. A
Biological Assessment, which included an effects determination to those specific species
and CH, was provided to both agencies by letter dated September 12, 2017. Consultation
with the resource agencies is on-going and no permit decision will be made until
consultation under the ESA has been concluded. It has been confirmed that the USFWS
August 28, 2017 State Programmatic Biological Opinion will cover beach placement
activities within the BBMBNP.
Other Required Authorizations
Bureau of Ocean Energy and Management (BOEM) is acting in the capacity of a
cooperating agency in the evaluation of the County's proposal to ensure the process
complies with the requirements of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) and
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Their office has assisted in the
development and review of the FEIS, BA, and EFH Assessment.
The Corps forwards this notice and all applicable application materials to the appropriate
State agencies for review.
North Carolina Division of Water Resources (NCDWR): The Corps will generally not
make a final permit decision until the NCDWR issues, denies, or waives the state
Certification as required by Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (PL 92-500). At this
time, the applicant has not submitted an application to the NCDWR Central Office in
Raleigh for a 401 Certification.
North Carolina Division of Coastal Management (NCDCM):
The application did not include a certification that the proposed work complies with and
would be conducted in a manner that is consistent with the approved North Carolina
Coastal Zone Management Program. Pursuant to 33 CFR 325.2 (b)(2) the Corps cannot
issue a Department of Army (DA) permit for the proposed work until the applicant
submits such a certification to the Corps and the NCDCM, and the NCDCM notifies the
Corps that it concurs with the applicant's consistency certification. As the application
did not include the consistency certification, the Corps will request, upon receipt,
concurrence or objection from the NCDCM.
It should be noted that the Corps has coordinated closely with DCM in the development of
the EIS to ensure the process complies with the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA)
requirements, as well as the NEPA requirements. The Final EIS has been designed to
consolidate both NEPA and SEPA processes to eliminate duplications.
State Clearinghouse:
The Corps submitted the EIS document to the North Carolina Department of
Administration, State Clearinghouse Office on February 26, 2018 for compliance with
SEPA.
Evaluation
The decision whether to issue a permit will be based on an evaluation of the probable
impacts including cumulative impacts of the proposed activity on the public interest.
That decision will reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of
important resources. The benefit 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 including the cumulative effects
thereof, among those are conservation, economics, aesthetics, general environmental
concerns, wetlands, historic properties, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, flood plain
values (in accordance with Executive Order 11988), land use, navigation, shoreline
erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy
needs, safety, food and fiber production, mineral needs, considerations of property
ownership, and, in general, the needs and welfare of the people. For activities involving
the discharge of dredged or fill materials in waters of the United States, the evaluation of
the impact of the activity on the public interest will include application of the
Environmental Protection Agency's 404(b)(1) guidelines.
Commenting Information
The Corps of Engineers is soliciting comments from the public; Federal, State and local
agencies and officials, including any consolidated State Viewpoint or written position of
the Governor; Indian Tribes and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate
the impacts of this proposed activity. Any comments received will be considered by the
Corps of Engineers to determine whether to issue, modify, condition or deny a permit for
this proposal. To make this decision, comments are used to assess impacts on endangered
species, historic properties, water quality, general environmental effects and the other
public interest factors listed above. Comments will be used in the preparation of the
Record of Decision (ROD) pursuant to the NEPA. Comments are also used to determine
the overall public interest of the proposed activity.
Any person may request, in writing, within the comment period specified in this notice,
that a public hearing be held to consider the application. Requests for public hearings
shall state, with particularity, the reasons for holding a public hearing. Requests for a
public hearing shall be granted, unless the District Engineer determines that the issues
raised are insubstantial or there is otherwise no valid interest to be served by a hearing.
Please be aware that a public scoping meeting was held on September 15, 2010 at the
Carteret County Community College in Morehead City and the Draft EIS was released
and published in the Federal Register on April 14, 2017. Comments received during the
Draft EIS commenting period were incorporated in the development of the FEIS.
Written comments pertinent to the proposed management plan and/or FEIS, as outlined
above, will be received by the Corps of Engineers, Wilmington District, until 5pm, April
2, 2018. Comments should be submitted to Mr. Mickey Sugg, 69 Darlington Avenue,
Wilmington, North Carolina 28403 or sent by e-mail at micke,r�ggnusace.army.mil.
If you have questions, please contact Mr. Sugg at (910) 251-4811.