Calcasieu River at Coon Island, Louisiana: Ship Channel
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FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT CALCASIEU RIVER AT COON ISLAND, LOUISIANA, SHIP CHANNEL ASSOCIATED WATER FEATURE CALCASIEU RIVER, LOUISIANA Prepared by U. S. ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT, NEW ORLEANS, NEW ORLEANS, LA. 6 30 November 1972 CALCASIEU RIVER AT COON ISLAND, LOUISIANA, SHIP CHANNEL ( •) Draft (X) Final Environmental Statement Responsible Office: U. S. Army Engineer District, New Orleans, New Orleans, La. 1. Name of Action: (X) Administrative ( ) Legislative 2. Description of Action: Construction of a 40- by 200-foot ship channel and a 40- by 750- by 1,000-foot turning basin in the Coon Island channel to allow more efficient use of the channel by larger and deeper-draft vessels. Construction requires the removal and disposed, of approximately 3,252,000 cubic yards of dredged material. Located in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana. 3. a. Environmental Impacts; The proposed deepwater navigation channel will accommodate larger vessels, stimulcite industrial growth, and reduce the risk of marine hazards. Potential adverse environmental impacts that may result include air and water pollution by vessels and industry, and the use of hydraulic dredges during construction and maintenance may degrade the water quality of Calcasieu River by inducing temporary turbidity. Spoil material will be confined by retaining dikes which will contain waste-water control structures. No significant esthetical or environmental changes in land use cure associated with the project. b. Adverse Environmental Effects: Unavoidable adverse impacts to the fish, wildlife, water, and recreational resources are associated with a temporary increase in the turbidity of the Calcasieu River. Losses are of such a minor and localized nature that no relative values were assigned to the impacts. Induced industrial expansion will require a land-use change, increase vessel traffic which has the potential for increasing pollution of land and water. 4. Alternatives; Alternatives considered included: retention of existing ship channel, channel enlargement, and no ship channel. 5. a. Comments received (initial draft): Federal agencies U. S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Bureau of Mines Geological Survey Environmental Protection Agency State of Louisiana Louisiana Department of Public Works Louisiana Wild Life and Fisheries Commission Louisiana State Parks and Recreation Commission Louisiana Stream Control Commission b . Comments received (revised draft) : Federal agencies U. S. Department of the Interior, Office of the Secretary, Southwest Region Environmental Protection Agency U. S. Department of Commerce, Hie Assistant Secretary of Commerce U. S. Department of Commerce, Maritime Administration U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare State of Louisiana State Parks and Recreation Commission State Land Office State Board of Health Capitol Region Planning Commission Louisiana Advisory Commission on Coastal & Marine Resources 6. Draft statement to CEQ: 11 October 1972 Final statement to CEQ: 3 MAR tS73 FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT CALCASIEU RIVER AT COON ISLAND, LOUISIANA, SHIP CHANNEL TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Paragraph number and title Number SECTION I -PROJECT DESCRIPTION 1 GENERAL |-1 2 LOCATION |-1 3 PLAN, PURPOSE, STATUS, AND BENEFIT-COST RATIO |-i *» AUTHORIZATION |-] SECTION II - ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING WITHOUT THE PROJECT 1 PHYSIOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGICAL ELEMENTS ||-i 2 HYDROLOGICAL ELEMENTS ||-| a. General 11-1 b. Climatology 11-2 c. Bottom sediment sampling 11-2 d. Bottom sediment analyses 11-2 3 BOTANICAL ELEMENTS I,-i, b ZOOLOGICAL ELEMENTS M _/, a. Wildlife 11.^ b. Fish life j j_c 5 PLANTS, WILDLIFE, AND FISHERY RESOURCES COMMON TO THE COON ISLAND AREA I._r 6 ARCHEOLOGICAL, HISTORICAL, AND CULTURAL ELEMENTS 7 ECONOMIC ELEMENTS ,,_6 8 MISCELLANEOUS ELEMENTS ,. .7 9 RELATED PROJECTS ,, L 10 FUTURE SETTING WITHOUT PROJECT SECTION III - THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED ACTION 1 NATURE OF IMPACTS 111-1 2 BENEFICIAL AND DETRIMENTAL ASPECTS OF IMPACTS |||-1 3 REMEDIAL, PROTECTIVE, AND MITIGATION MEASURES ||l-2 SECTION IV - ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS WHICH CANNOT BE AVOIDED SHOULD THE PROPOSAL BE IMPLEMENTED GENERAL IV-1 TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont'd) Page Paragraph nunfrer and title number SECTION V - ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED ACTION 1 RETENTION OF THE EXISTING SHIP CHANNEL V-l 2 CHANNEL ENLARGEMENT V-l • 3 NO SHIP CHANNEL V-l k ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF ALTERNATIVES V-l SECTION VI - THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOCAL SHORT-TERM USES OF MAN'S ENVIRONMENT AND THE MAINTENANCE AND ENHANCEMENT OF LONG-TERM PRODUCTIVITY GENERAL VI-1 SECTION VII - ANY IRREVERSIBLE AND IRRETRIEVABLE COMMITMENT OF RESOURCES WHICH WOULD BE INVOLVED IN THE PROPOSED ACTION SHOULD IT BE IMPLEMENTED GENERAL VI1-1 SECTION VIII - COORDINATION WITH OTHERS 1 COORDINATION DURING PLAN FORMULATION Vlll-l 2 COORDINATION OF PRELIMINARY DRAFT STATEMENT Vlll-l CIRCULATED IN NOVEMBER 1970 a. Environmental Protection Agency Vlll-l b. Geological Survey VI11-2 c. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife VI11-2 d. Bureau of Mines VI11-2 e. Bureau of Outdoor Recreation VI11-2 f. Department of Commerce VI11-2 g. U. S. Coast Guard VI11-3 h. Public Health Service VIII-3 i. Louisiana Department of Public Works VIII-3 j. Louisiana WiId Life and Fisheries Commission VIII-3 k. Louisiana State Parks and Recreation Commission VIII-3 l. Louisiana Stream Control Commission VIII-3 m. Louisiana Board of Health VIII-3 n. Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District VIII-3 o. Calcasieu Parish Police Jury VIII-3 3 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION VIII-3 TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont'd) Page Paragraph number and title Number 4 COORDINATION OF REVISED DRAFT STATEMENT CIRCULATED IN AUGUST 1972 VI11-4 Federal agencies a. Environmental Protection Agency VII1-4 b. U. S. Department of the Interior, Office of Secretary, Southwest Region VI11-4 c. U. S. Department of Commerce, The Assistant Secretary of Commerce VI11-5 d. U. S. Department of Commerce, Maritime Administration VIII-5 e. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare VI11-5 State agencies; a. Louisiana State Parks and Recreation Commission VI11-5 b. Louisiana State Land Office VI11-6 c. Louisiana State Board of Health VI11-6 d. Capital Region Planning Commission (Clearinghouse) VI11-6 e. Louisiana Advisory Commission on Coastal and Marine Resources VIII-6 f. Louisiana Department of Public Works VI11-7 g. Louisiana Wild Life and Fista-ies Commission VI11-7 h. Louisiana Stream Control Commission VI11-7 i. Louisiana State Planning Office VI11-7 j. Louisiana Commission on Intergovernmental Relations VI11-7 k. Lake Charles Harbor & Terminal District VII1-7 l. Calcasieu Regional Planning Commission VI11-7 m. Curator of Anthropology VI11-7 n. Louisiana State Liaison Office for Historical Preservation VI11-7 Local agencies and civic groups a. Calcasieu Parish Police Jury VI11-7 b. Louisiana Intracoastal Seaway Commission VII1-7 c. Greater Lake Charles Chamber of Commerce VI11-7 d. Lake Charles Pilot Association VI11-8 e. PPG Industries VII1-8 f. Port of Lake Charles, Board of Commissioners VI11-8 g. Calcasieu Marine National Bank VI11-8 h. Airport Commission VI11-8 TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont'd) Page Paragraph nunfcer and title number Conservation and environmental groups: a. Environmental Defense Fund VI11-8 b. National Wildlife Federation VIII c. National Sierra Club VI11-8 d. National Audubon Society VII1-8 e. Vice-President, National Sierra Club, New Orleans VI11-8 f. Regional Director, National Wildlife Federation VI11-8 g. SW Regional Representative, National Audubon Society VI11-8 h. Ecology Center of Louisiana, Inc. VIII-9 i. Louisiana Wild)ife Federation VIII-9 j. Chairman, Water Control Projects Committee, Louisiana Wildlife Federation VIII-9 k. Acadian Sierra Club VIII-9 l. Calcasieu Rod & Gun Club VIII-9 CALCASIEU RIVER AT COON ISLAND, LOUISIANA, SHIP CHANNEL ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT SECTION I - PROJECT DESCRIPTION 1. GENERAL A preliminary draft environmental statement for the project Calcasieu River at Coon Island, Louisiana, ship channel was circulated to Federal, state, and local agencies in November 1970. Subsequent to that time, the recommended plan was modified to include a 40- by 750-by 1,000- foot turning basin in place of the previously recomnended 30- by 750- by 1,000-foot turning basin as included in the original statement. For this reason, the statement was updated to include the larger turning basin and recoordinated in August 1972. Responses of those agencies comnenting on both draft statements are attached along with a ccmment- respcnse section. 2. LOCATION The Calcasieu River at Coon Island, Louisiana, ship channel project is located in Calcasieu Parish, southwestern Louisiana, at about mile 32.2 on the Calcasieu River, 1.5 miles downstream from the Port of Lake Charles. A map of the proposed project is attached. 3. PLAN, PURPOSE, STATUS, AND BENEFIT-COST RATIO The plan of improvement provides for construction of a 40- by 200-foot ship channel and a 40- by 750- by 1,000-foot turning basin in the Coon Island channel, an existing locally improved industrial channel in a cutoff of the Calcasieu River, to allow more efficient use of the channel by larger and deeper-draft vessels. Construction requires the removal and disposal of approximately 3,252,000 cubic yards of dredged material. Non-Federal interests have enlarged the channel along the west side of Coon Island for a distance of 1.5 miles to dimensions of approximately 30 by 100 feet and constructed a 30- by 500- by 750-foot turning basin at the northern end of the island. A 40- by 400-foot deep-draft channel now exists on the Calcasieu River which extends from the Gulf of Mexico to the city of Lake Charles, a distance of some 34 miles. The improvement is economically justified, with a benefit-cost ratio of 2.7. 4. AUTHORIZATION The Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District by resolution at a regular meeting 13 July 1966 requested that the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, under Section 107 of the River and Harbor Act of 1960, as amended, enlarge the Calcasieu River channel along the west side of Coon Island to the dimension necessary for existing and prospective traffic to the plants located on this inadequate waterway.