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: U.S. Coast Guard Station Destin
2000 Miracle Strip Parkway
Destin, Florida 32541
WATERWAY AND LOCATION: The project would affect waters of the United States associated with the Choctawhatchee Bay and River Watershed. The project site is located at U.S. Coast Guard Station Destin, 2000 Miracle Strip Parkway, Section 26, Township 2 South, Range 23 West, Destin, Okaloosa County, Florida.
Directions to the site are as follows: From Destin, travel west on U.S. Highway 98 across the Marler Bridge (a.k.a., East Pass bridge); the U.S. Coast Guard Station Destin is located on the north side of Highway 98, approximately 0.2 mile west of the Marler Bridge.
APPROXIMATE CENTRAL COORDINATES: Latitude: 30.392153°
Longitude: -86.525192°
PROJECT PURPOSE:
Basic: Maintain navigable access.
Overall: Maintain navigable access for the U.S. Coast Guard Station Destin in Destin, Florida.
EXISTING CONDITIONS: The project area consists of natural sandy bottom. Both the turning basin and the navigation channel are in need of maintenance in order to maintain safe navigable depths for utilization by the U.S. Coast Guard Station Destin. Both the turning basin and the navigation channel have been dredged in the past. There is submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the nearby vicinity of the project area, but none within the proposed dredge footprint or placement area.
PROPOSED WORK: The applicant seeks authorization to maintenance dredge a total of 10,000 cubic yards of sediments from an existing boat basin and access channel that serves the U.S. Coast Guard Station Destin (USCG) to a design depth of -10.0 feet at mean lower low water (MLLW) with an additional 2 feet of allowable advance maintenance (overdepth), resulting in a depth of -12.0 feet at MLLW. Dredging within the boat basin would consist of approximately 2,500 cubic yards of required material plus an additional 3,000 cubic yards of possible overdepth material. Dredging within the access channel would consist of approximately 1,000 cubic yards of required material plus an additional 4,500 cubic yards of possible overdepth material. The boat basin would be dredged using a diver-operated 6-inch pipeline dredge. All material would be pumped into geotubes and placed on a nearby barge. The material would be allowed to dewater back into the basin. The access channel would either be dredged by the same method, or by a cutterhead dredge. If a cutterhead dredge is used, the method of pumping into the geotubes and dewatering would be the same. Once dewatered, the filled geotubes would be transported to a designated Corps disposal area located at the west end of a rock jetty in East Pass and placed directly into open water.
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:
To minimize potential impacts due to turbidity, the applicant would utilize best management practices (BMP’s) such as turbidity curtains during construction and would remove them once construction is complete.
COMPENSATORY MITIGATION: The applicant has offered the following compensatory mitigation plan to offset unavoidable functional loss to the aquatic environment:
No compensatory mitigation is proposed.
CULTURAL RESOURCES: The Corps is not aware of any known historic properties within the permit area. By copy of this public notice, the Corps is providing information for review. Our final determination relative to historic resource impacts is subject to review by and coordination with the State Historic Preservation Officer and those federally recognized tribes with concerns in Florida and the Permit Area.
ENDANGERED SPECIES: The Corps has determined the proposed project may affect, but is not likely to adversely affect the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata), Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi) and the following species of swimming sea turtles: green (Chelonia mydas), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricate), Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta). The Corps will request U.S. Fish and Wildlife and 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. The proposal would impact estuarine waters utilized by various life stages of red drum, 8 shark species (scalloped hammerhead, tiger, nurse, bull, spinner, Atlantic sharpnose, blacktip, sandbar), 3 shrimp species (brown, white, pink), 43 species of reef fish, and coastal migratory pelagic species. Our initial determination is that the proposed action would not have a substantial adverse impact on EFH or Federally managed fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico. 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.
SECTION 408: The applicant will require permission under Section 14 of the Rivers and Harbors Act (33 USC 408) because the activity, in whole or in part, would alter, occupy, or use a Corps Civil Works project.
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. The jurisdictional line has not been verified by Corps personnel.
AUTHORIZATION FROM OTHER AGENCIES: Water Quality Certification may be required from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and/or one of the state Water Management Districts.
COMMENTS regarding the potential authorization of the work proposed should be submitted in writing to the attention of the District Engineer through the Pensacola Permits Section, 41 North Jefferson Street, Suite 301, Pensacola, Florida 32502, within 21 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 proposed.
QUESTIONS concerning this application should be directed to the project manager, Steve Andrews Jr., in writing at the Pensacola Permits Section, 41 North Jefferson Street, Suite 301, Pensacola, Florida 32502; by electronic mail at stephen.w.andrews@usace.army.mil; by facsimile transmission at 850-433-8160; or, by telephone at 850-439-0707.
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.