81 FR 18600 - Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Integrated Feasibility Report Including Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (Integrated Feasibility Report) for the East San Pedro Bay Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study, Los Angeles County, CA

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 62 (March 31, 2016)

The Los Angeles District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the City of Long Beach intend to prepare a draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the East San Pedro Bay Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study, Los Angeles County, California. The components of the EIS/EIR will be contained in an Integrated Feasibility Report (IFR) that also includes a Feasibility Report.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 62 (Thursday, March 31, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18600-18601]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-07284]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Integrated Feasibility Report 
Including Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report 
(Integrated Feasibility Report) for the East San Pedro Bay Ecosystem 
Restoration Feasibility Study, Los Angeles County, CA

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

[[Page 18601]]


ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The Los Angeles District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
(Corps) and the City of Long Beach intend to prepare a draft 
Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) 
for the East San Pedro Bay Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study, Los 
Angeles County, California. The components of the EIS/EIR will be 
contained in an Integrated Feasibility Report (IFR) that also includes 
a Feasibility Report.

DATES: Two public scoping meetings will be held on April 7, 2016, at 
2:00 p.m. and at 6:00 p.m. Submit written comments concerning this 
notice no later than May 7, 2016.

ADDRESSES: The location for the scoping meetings is: Bixby Park 
Community Center, 130 Cherry Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802.
    Mail written comments, suggestions, and/or request to be placed on 
the mailing list for announcements to: Naeem A. Siddiqui, U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, CESPL-PDR-N, 915 Wilshire 
Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90017-3401 or by email to: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naeem A. Siddiqui, Project 
Environmental Coordinator, 213-452-3852, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Feasibility Study is being conducted as 
a partial response to Senate Resolution, dated June 25, 1969, reading 
in part:

    Resolved by the Committee on Public Works of the United States 
Senate, that the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, created 
under Section 3 of the River and Harbor Act, approved June 13, 1902, 
be, and is hereby requested to review the report of the Chief of 
Engineers on the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers and Ballona 
Creek, California, published as House Document Numbered 838, 
Seventy-sixth Congress, and other pertinent reports, with a view to 
determining whether any modifications contained herein are advisable 
at the present time, in the resources in the Los Angeles County 
Drainage Area. . . .

    The study area is located offshore of the City of Long Beach, 
California, in the easternmost part of San Pedro Bay. It includes the 
area between the Long Beach shoreline, the Long Beach Breakwater and 
the Los Angeles River estuary.
    The Corps is the lead agency in preparing the EIS in accordance 
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The City of Long 
Beach is the non-Federal sponsor of the Feasibility Study and the lead 
agency in preparing the EIR in accordance with the California 
Environmental Quality Act. The Corps and City of Long Beach have agreed 
to jointly prepare an IFR including EIS/EIR to optimize efficiency and 
avoid duplication.
    1. Description. The study will evaluate opportunities to restore 
aquatic habitat such as kelp, rocky reef, coastal wetlands and other 
types of sufficient quality and quantity to support diverse resident 
and migratory species, and to improve water circulation sufficient to 
support and sustain aquatic habitat, within East San Pedro Bay, 
California. Recreational opportunities will also be explored, although 
the primary objective will be ecosystem restoration.
    The Corps completed a Reconnaissance Report in August 2010 which 
identified a federal interest in addressing issues such as loss of 
historic coastal wetlands, lack of rocky reef/hard bottom habitat, loss 
of kelp habitat, poor water circulation and tidal action, and other 
degraded ecosystem conditions. The study is now entering the 
feasibility phase in which alternatives will be developed, a 
tentatively selected plan and ultimately a proposed project will be 
identified, and environmental documentation will be completed.
    2. Alternatives. Potential measures that would meet the objectives 
of the study are currently being developed and may include the addition 
of rocks out side of navigational channels to create underwater rocky 
reef and form a base for kelp beds; creation of sandy islands to 
provide suitable habitat for eelgrass; and various modifications to the 
Long Beach Breakwater such as removal and/or notching to improve water 
circulation. Measures will be grouped into discrete alternatives and 
analyzed in the IFR. In addition, the study will also evaluate the No 
Action alternative pursuant to NEPA.
    3. Scoping and Analysis. a. The Corps intends to hold a public 
scoping meeting for the Draft IFR to aid in the determination of 
significant environmental issues associated with the proposed project, 
and to assist with alternative development. Affected federal, state and 
local resource agencies, Native American groups and concerned interest 
groups/individuals are invited to participate in the scoping process. 
Public participation is critical in defining the scope of analysis in 
the Draft IFR, identifying significant environmental issues in the 
Draft IFR, providing useful information such as published and 
unpublished data, sharing knowledge about relevant issues, and 
recommending potential measures or alternatives that may be considered 
for the purpose of meeting study objectives.
    b. Potential impacts associated with the proposed project will be 
fully evaluated during the feasibility study. Identified planning 
constraints and considerations such as navigational operations, 
existing major utilities and infrastructure, minimizing flood risks 
will be considered. Resource categories that will be analyzed include: 
Physical environment, geology, biological resources, navigation/land 
use, air quality, water quality, recreational usage, aesthetics, 
cultural resources, transportation, noise, hazardous waste, 
socioeconomics and safety.
    c. Throughout the feasibility study, the Corps and the City of Long 
Beach will coordinate and, or consult with other State and Federal 
regulatory and permitting agencies to ensure compliance with 
environmental laws and regulations including but not limited to the 
Coastal Zone Management Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Management and Conservation Act, as amended, National Historic 
Preservation Act, and the Clean Air Act.
    4. Public Scoping Meetings: The Corps and City of Long Beach will 
jointly conduct two public scoping meetings at the date and address 
indicated above. The purpose of the scoping meeting is to gather 
information from the general public or interested organizations about 
issues and concerns that they would like to see addressed in the Draft 
IFR. Comments may be delivered in writing or verbally at the meeting. 
All comments will be entered into the public record.
    5. Availability of the Draft IFR: The Draft IFR including Draft 
EIS/EIR is anticipated to be available for public review and comment in 
the spring or summer of 2017.

    Dated: March 23, 2016.
Kirk E. Gibbs,
Colonel, U.S. Army, Commander and District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 2016-07284 Filed 3-30-16; 8:45 am]
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