Environmental Assessment: Fiscal Years 2012 Through 2018, Maintenance Dredging and Disposal, Grays Harbor and Chehalis River Navigation Report.

摘要

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), this Environmental Assessment (EA ) evaluates the impacts of continued maintenance of the Grays Harbor and Chehalis River Navigation Channel beginning October 2011 through September 2018 . The Grays Harbor and Chehalis River Navigation Channel is located in Grays Harbor County, Washington. The navigation channel is over 23 miles long and begins in the Pacific Ocean offshore of the western entrance of Grays Harbor and terminates at Cosmopolis where the Chehalis River enters the eastern end of Grays Harbor. The Grays Harbor and Chehalis River Navigation Channel is a dredged channel that was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). The Grays Harbor and Chehalis River Navigation Channel is important to commercial shipping and commercial fishing because it allows safe passage of deep draft ocean going vessels to reach Aberdeen , Hoquiam, and Cosmopolis. To maintain the navigation channel , the Corps proposes to remove up to about 3.2 million cubic yards (cy) of accumulated sediment from the navigation channel every year . The recommended plan consists of maintenance dredging up to approximately 3.2 million cy annually within the approved in- water construction window s of July 16 through February 14 and April 1 through June 30 . Hydraulic hopper dredges would be used in the outer (western) portion of Grays Harbor while mechanical dredges would be used for the rest of the dredge operation . Disposal of this material would occur at six disposal sites, which include three open water sites, two nearshore nourishment sites, and one direct beach nourishment site. Testing of the material to be dredged has occur red every other year and the material has always met the Dredge Material Management Program ( DMMP ) guidelines for open water disposal. The material would continue to be tested on a biannual cycle. The proposed project would not constitute a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.