TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: The Jacksonville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has received an application for a Department of the Army permit pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §1344) and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. §403) as described below:
APPLICANT: Mr. Destino M. Rivera
Atlantean Technologies LLC
2 Perkins Court
Glen Cove, NY 11542
WATERWAY AND LOCATION: The project would affect waters of the United States associated with the Bahía de Puerca. The project site is located at the former Roosevelt Roads U.S. Naval Station wet dock and Bahía de Puerca, Municipality of Ceiba, Puerto Rico.
Directions to the site are as follows: Take the Román Baldorioty de Castro/PR-3 from Santurce to Carolina, exit to the left to take expressway PR-56 to Rio Grande, continue on PR-3 toward Fajardo, take expressway PR-53 toward Ceiba/Naguabo, exit to the right at state road PR-3 in Ceiba and turn left at Langley Dr., turn right at the end of Langley Dr. and after Forrestal Dr. turn left on next road and continue to end of the road located at the right hand side.
APPROXIMATE CENTRAL COORDINATES: Latitude 18.2285°
Longitude -65.6044°
PROJECT PURPOSE:
Basic: Temporary underwater wave killer system structure.
Overall: To show the proposed system can take away the energy from the ocean waves; has the ability to kill sound and sonar waves; can contain dredging material and other substrates in one designated area; can contain spill oils and keep such spills from contacting land and sanctuaries; and to show it can create 18” bubbles, which would allow to change the ocean surface temperatures, and as a result it would save coral reefs.
EXISTING CONDITIONS: The proposed project is located within the entrance of the old dry dock structure, now it is a wet dock. Based on available information, the Roosevelt Roads Naval Station’s Dry Dock has been opened and exposed to the sea since the late 1960’s. The concrete bottom is covered with silt sediments and the approximate depth range between - 40 to - 45 feet. In accordance to information provided by the applicant, a mangrove snapper, a shrimp mound, and a sheet coral on surface were observed at the project site. The existing area surrounding the project area consists of concrete bulkheads and deteriorated concrete piers, which were part of the former Roosevelt Roads US Naval Station. In accordance to the applicant no sea grasses or listed corals are present at the marine bottom where the wave killer system structure will be placed.
PROPOSED WORK: The applicant seeks authorization to temporarily install the Wave Killer System for demonstration at the entrance of the existing wet dock. This is a 200 feet by 15 feet system that produces an underwater air curtain. The height of the proposed wave killer system structure is 18 inches. This system will be anchored using plate anchors on the floor, and fed power uses approximately 100 feet long hoses to be installed on the east and west sides of the wet dock by a centrifuge fan located upland at each side of the wet dock. Seven plate anchors will be installed temporarily on the sea side of the project to indicate “danger”, and monitoring with a security boat will be conducted at all time while the demonstration occurs. Five cranes will be placed in 50-foot intervals starting with zero and ending at 200 feet. The cranes will pick up the system and lower it at the wet dock. Divers will place the system into position on the sea floor and addition weight will be added to have a wave killer system completely negatively buoyant. There will be two compressors, one on the western side of the wet dock and one on the eastern side. The eastern side compressor will either be on a small barge (45 feet) or a boat of 45 feet in length and tied up to the concrete sea wall (southern end). A short test will be performed by blowing silt from the floor of the wet dock using compressed air to simulate dredging material from an area of 10 feet long by 3 feet wide within the wet dock from North to South to show that no silt material will penetrate the air curtain. The installation process will take approximately four days. The applicant expects to have the system powered for one hour at a time for three days of demonstration unless additional time is requested. The proposed structures (wave killer system) and plate anchors are expected to stay in the water for approximately 10 days. These structures will be removed at the end of the demonstration.
AVOIDANCE AND MINIMIZATION INFORMATION – The applicant has provided the following information in support of efforts to avoid and/or minimize impacts to the aquatic environment:
The proposed wave killer system structure will be temporarily placed in the water for approximately 10 days and it will only be powered for one hour. Dredging material will not be dumped. Compressed air to simulate dredging material will be used to loose material in the inside of the wet dock from the bottom toward the curtain, and it would be conducted from north to south. This is to show that no material will penetrate the air curtain, and to avoid and minimize the transport and the re-discharge of loose silt sediments to outside areas at Bahía de Puerca, minimizing potential impacts to aquatic environment near the project site.
COMPENSATORY MITIGATION – No compensatory mitigation is proposed as no permanent loss of aquatic environment is expected to occur. Loose silt sediments as result of silt blowing with compressed air are expected to re-deposit within the wet dock floor.
CULTURAL RESOURCES:
The Corps has determined that the activity is of such limited scope there is little likelihood of impact upon a historic property; therefore, the proposed project would have “No Potential to Cause Effect”.
ENDANGERED SPECIES:
The Corps has determined the proposed project may affect, but is not likely to adversely affect the Antillean manatee; Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) and Hawksbill Sea Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata). No effect on designated critical habitat. The Corps will request U.S. Fish and Wildlife/National Marine Fisheries Service concurrence with this determination pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.
ESSENTIAL FISH HABITAT (EFH): This notice initiates consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service on EFH as required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act 1996. Our initial determination is that the proposed action would not have a substantial adverse impact on EFH or Federally managed fisheries in the Caribbean. Our final determination relative to project impacts and the need for mitigation measures is subject to review by and coordination with the National Marine Fisheries Service.
NOTE: This public notice is being issued based on information furnished by the applicant. This information has not been verified or evaluated to ensure compliance with laws and regulation governing the regulatory program.
AUTHORIZATION FROM OTHER AGENCIES: A Water Quality Certification from the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and a Coastal Zone Federal Consistency Certificate from the Puerto Rico Planning Board are required for this project.
COMMENTS regarding the potential authorization of the work proposed should be submitted in writing to the attention of the District Engineer through the Antilles Permits Section, Fund. Angel Ramos Annex Bldg. , Suite 202, 383 F.D. Roosevelt Ave. , San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918 within 30 days from the date of this notice.
The decision whether to issue or deny this permit application will be based on the information received from this public notice and the evaluation of the probable impact to the associated wetlands. This is based on an analysis of the applicant's avoidance and minimization efforts for the project, as well as the compensatory mitigation.
QUESTIONS concerning this application should be directed to the project manager, Ms. Carmen G. Román, in writing at the Antilles Permits Section, Fund. Angel Ramos Annex Bldg. , Suite 202, 383 F.D. Roosevelt Ave. , San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918, by electronic mail at carmen.g.roman@usace.army.mil; or, by telephone at (787)729-6637.
IMPACT ON NATURAL RESOURCES: Coordination with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Marine Fisheries Services, and other Federal, State, and local agencies, environmental groups, and concerned citizens generally yields pertinent environmental information that is instrumental in determining the impact the proposed action will have on the natural resources of the area.
EVALUATION: The decision whether to issue a permit will be based on an evaluation of the probable impact 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 benefits, 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 cumulative impacts thereof; among these are conservation, economics, esthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, historical properties, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, floodplain values, 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. Evaluation of the impact of the activity on the public interest will also include application of the guidelines promulgated by the Administrator, EPA, under authority of Section 404(b) of the Clean Water Act or the criteria established under authority of Section 102(a) of the Marine Protection Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972. A permit will be granted unless its issuance is found to be contrary to the public interest.
The US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is soliciting comments from the public; Federal, State, and local agencies and officials; 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 to determine whether to issue, modify, condition, or deny a permit for this proposal. To make this determination, comments are used to assess impacts to endangered species, historic properties, water quality, general environmental effects, and the other public interest factors listed above. Comments are also used to determine the need for a public hearing and to determine the overall public interest of the proposed activity.
COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT CONSISTENCY: In Florida, the State approval constitutes compliance with the approved Coastal Zone Management Plan. In Puerto Rico, a Coastal Zone Management Consistency Concurrence is required from the Puerto Rico Planning Board. In the Virgin Islands, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources permit constitutes compliance with the Coastal Zone Management Plan.
REQUEST FOR PUBLIC HEARING: Any person may request a public hearing. The request must be submitted in writing to the District Engineer within the designated comment period of the notice and must state the specific reasons for requesting the public hearing.