USACE Jacksonville District issues Notice of Availability of Proposed Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and Environmental Assessment for Intracoastal Waterway Crossroads dredging project

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District (Corps) is considering Operations and Maintenance (O&M) dredging within the Okeechobee Waterway (OWW) and Intracoastal Waterway (IWW) from Jacksonville to Miami. The proposed construction is within the portion of the IWW located in St. Lucie inlet locally known as Crossroads, in Martin County, Florida.

The OWW Cut 1 is approximately 3,500 feet in length and 80 feet wide with an authorized depth of -8 feet mean low water (MLW) and -2 feet allowable overdepth. The centerline of Cut 1 extends into the intersection of the IWW along the eastern boundary and was authorized by the Rivers and Harbors Act of March 2, 1945. An 8-foot by 75-foot wide IWW channel from Jacksonville to Miami was authorized January 21, 1927.  The present configuration (12 feet deep and 125 feet wide) and the maintenance dredging of the IWW – Jacksonville to Miami, was authorized by the Rivers and Harbors Act of March 2, 1945.

The purpose of this environmental assessment (EA) is to analyze potential effects of maintenance dredging of the OWW Cut 1 and IWW Cuts 1 through 6 (“Crossroads”) and the placement of dredged material. The Corps determined that the EA’s Preferred Alternative (maintenance dredging of the OWW Cut 1 and IWW Cuts 1 through 6 with placement in dredged material management area (DMMA) MSA 5 and/or St. Lucie Impoundment Basin) would not cause significant adverse effects on the quality of the human environment; therefore, preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement is not required.  The non-federal sponsor (NFS) for this project is the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND). The project is in southeast Florida located within the St. Lucie Inlet and part of the Indian River lagoon in Martin County, Florida. The project area is east of Lake Okeechobee and north of Miami. 

Figure 1 1. Map of project vicinity within the State of Florida. The Project area is north of Miami and east of Lake Okeechobee. The Project is located on the Atlantic Coast in southeast Florida and identified by a red star.

Figure 1 2. Map of Project Area location. The IWW Crossroads (in red) intersects with the OWW (white). The St. Lucie Impoundment Basin (purple) and Dredged Material Management Area (DMMA) MSA-5 (yellow) are potential placement areas.

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