Environmental Assessment Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System
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Environmental Assessment Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System January 28, 2015 Prepared For Defense Information Systems Agency Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System Environmental Assessment January 28, 2015 Prepared for P.O Box 549, Fort Meade, MD 20755-0549 Prepared by SCHEDA Ecological Associates, Inc. 1221 Airport Road, Suite 208, Destin, FL 32541 Tel 850 460 7500 www.scheda.com Environmental Assessment Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System Table of Contents Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Overview ................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Background ............................................................................................................ 3 1.3 Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action ........................................................... 6 Chapter 2 Proposed Action and Alternatives ................................................................................................. 7 2.1 Overview ................................................................................................................ 7 2.2 Project Design ........................................................................................................ 8 2.2.1 Dania Beach Nearshore Installation, Florida ............................................ 8 2.2.2 Deepwater Cable Lay.............................................................................. 14 2.2.3 Guantanamo Bay Nearshore Installation, Cuba ...................................... 15 2.2.4 Back Haul (Dark Fiber) .......................................................................... 20 2.3 No Action Alternative .......................................................................................... 22 2.4 Dania Beach Nearshore Alternatives ................................................................... 23 2.4.1 Alternative 1 ........................................................................................... 23 2.4.2 Alternative 2 (Preferred Alternative) ...................................................... 23 2.5 Guantanamo Bay Nearshore Alternatives ............................................................ 24 2.5.1 Alternative 1 (Windmill Beach) ............................................................. 24 2.5.2 Alternative 2 (Ferry Landing) ................................................................. 26 2.5.3 Alternative 3 (Glass Beach – Preferred Alternative) .............................. 26 2.6 Deepwater Route Alternatives ............................................................................. 27 2.6.1 Alternative 1 (Southern Route) ............................................................... 27 2.6.2 Alternative 2 (Northern Route) ............................................................... 28 2.6.3 Alternative 3 (Northern Short Route – Preferred Alternative) ............... 28 Chapter 3 Affected Environment ................................................................................................................... 29 3.1 Dania Beach, Florida: SFOC Onshore and Offshore (≤12NM) ........................... 29 3.1.1 Geology ................................................................................................... 29 3.1.2 Biological Resources .............................................................................. 30 3.1.3 Essential Fish Habitat ............................................................................. 43 3.1.4 Cultural Resources .................................................................................. 45 3.1.5 Land and Water Use ............................................................................... 45 3.2 Guantanamo Bay, Cuba: SFOC Onshore and Offshore ....................................... 46 3.2.1 Geology ................................................................................................... 46 January 2015 i Environmental Assessment Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System 3.2.2 Biological Resources .............................................................................. 48 3.2.3 Cultural Resources .................................................................................. 57 3.2.4 Land and Water Use ............................................................................... 57 Chapter 4 Environmental Consequences ..................................................................................................... 58 4.1 No Action Alternative .......................................................................................... 59 4.2 Dania Beach, Florida: SFOC Onshore and Offshore (≤12NM) ........................... 59 4.2.1 Geology ................................................................................................... 59 4.2.2 Biological Resources .............................................................................. 60 4.2.3 Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) .................................................................. 69 4.2.4 Cultural Resources .................................................................................. 69 4.2.5 Land and Water Use ............................................................................... 69 4.3 Guantanamo Bay, Cuba: SFOC Onshore and Offshore (≤12NM) ...................... 70 4.3.1 Geology ................................................................................................... 70 4.3.2 Biological Resources .............................................................................. 70 4.3.3 Cultural Resources .................................................................................. 74 4.3.4 Land and Water Use ............................................................................... 74 Chapter 5 Cumulative Impacts ....................................................................................................................... 75 Chapter 6 Protective Measures ...................................................................................................................... 78 Chapter 7 Listing of Agencies and Persons Consulted .............................................................................. 84 Chapter 8 Public Noticing .............................................................................................................................. 85 Chapter 9 List of Preparers ............................................................................................................................ 86 Chapter 10 References ..................................................................................................................................... 87 Appendices Appendix A Cable Specifications Appendix B Laying Seafloor Cable BMPs Appendix C Draft EFH Assessment (2013) Appendix D Deepwater Benthic Habitat Characterization (2012) Appendix E Standard Manatee Construction Conditions Appendix F Sea Turtle and Smalltooth Sawfish Construction Conditions Appendix G FDEP CCCL Approval Letter January 2015 ii Environmental Assessment Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System Tables Table 1 Recently Permitted Cable Systems at SFOMF .................................................................3 Table 2 GPS Coordinates of Terrestrial Cable Path at SFOMF ..................................................12 Table 3 GTMO GPS Positions .....................................................................................................19 Table 4 Alternative Routes within Maritime Boundaries ............................................................27 Table 5 Sea Turtle Occurrences along the Florida East Coast .....................................................39 Table 6 Documented Sea Turtle Nests at the John U. Lloyd State Park Survey Area (2010) .....................................................................................................................40 Table 7 ESA and State Listed Bird Species Occurring in Broward County ................................42 Table 8 EFH and HAPC Designated within the Proposed Action Area ......................................44 Table 9 Protected Species at NAVSTAGTMO ...........................................................................49 Table 10 Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Marine Mammals in and around the Project Area ...........................................................................................................51 Figures Figure 1 GTMO SFOC System Alternative Routes ......................................................................2 Figure 2 Existing Cable Systems at SFOMF .................................................................................4 Figure 3 GTMO SFOC System Components ................................................................................7 Figure 4 Approximate Cable Ship Holding Position for SFOMF Landing ...................................9 Figure 5 Approximate Cable Route across Beach at SFOMF .....................................................10 Figure 6 Existing Cables at SFOMF ............................................................................................10 Figure 7 SFOMF Installation