Port of Morehead City, NC June 2016
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Morehead City Harbor Morehead City, NC FINAL Integrated Dredged Material Management Plan And Environmental Impact Statement Port of Morehead City, NC June 2016 Morehead City Harbor Morehead City, NC FINAL Integrated Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP) and Environmental Impact Statement Table of Contents Executive Summary Operations Plan 1 DMMP STUDY BACKGROUND ........................................................................... 1 1.1 Purpose and Need.................................................................................... 1 1.2 Authority and Scope ................................................................................. 1 1.3 DMMP Process ........................................................................................ 2 1.4 Study Area Description and Location ....................................................... 4 1.5 Incorporation by Reference ...................................................................... 9 2 DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING CONDITIONS, FUTURE WITHOUT PROJECT CONDITIONS, PROBLEMS, OPPORTUNITIES, ASSUMPTIONS, GOALS, AND CONSTRAINTS .................................................................................................. 10 2.1 Existing Conditions ................................................................................. 10 2.2 Planning Requirement ............................................................................ 30 2.3 Problems and Opportunities ................................................................... 31 2.4 Key Assumptions .................................................................................... 32 2.5 Future Without Project Condition ............................................................ 41 2.6 Goals ...................................................................................................... 42 2.7 Constraints ............................................................................................. 42 3 ALTERNATIVES ................................................................................................. 43 3.1 No Action Plan (No DMMP) .................................................................... 43 3.2 Formulation of DMMP Measures ............................................................ 43 3.2.1 Brandt Island .......................................................................................... 46 3.2.2 Beach Placement ................................................................................... 47 3.2.3 Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site (ODMDS) .................................. 63 3.2.4 Ebb Tide Delta ........................................................................................ 69 3.2.5 Modification of Environmental Windows ................................................. 96 3.2.6 DMMP Measures Eliminated .................................................................. 98 3.3 Costs of the Alternative Plans .............................................................. 127 3.3.1 No Action Plan (No DMMP) .................................................................. 128 3.3.2 Proposed Measures ............................................................................. 129 3.3.3 Summary of Least Cost Analysis .......................................................... 135 3.4 Proposed Base Plan (DMMP) .............................................................. 138 3.4.1 Trade-Off Analysis ................................................................................ 138 3.4.2 Summary of Recommended Base Plan (DMMP) ................................. 146 3.4.3 Real Estate ........................................................................................... 159 4 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................... 162 4.1 Physical Resources .............................................................................. 163 4.1.1 Sediment Background .......................................................................... 163 Final Morehead City Harbor DMMP and EIS i 4.1.2 Sediment Characteristics ...................................................................... 164 4.1.3 Sediment Composition in the Nearshore Placement Areas .................. 179 4.1.4 Sediment Contaminants ....................................................................... 180 4.2 Hazardous and Toxic Waste ................................................................ 180 4.3 Water Resources .................................................................................. 182 4.3.1 Water Quality ........................................................................................ 182 4.3.2 Groundwater ......................................................................................... 185 4.4 Air Quality ............................................................................................. 186 4.5 Marine and Estuarine Resources ......................................................... 186 4.5.1 Nekton .................................................................................................. 186 4.5.2 Benthic Resources - Beach and Surf Zone .......................................... 187 4.5.3 Benthic Resources - Nearshore Ocean ................................................ 189 4.5.4 Surf Zone Fishes .................................................................................. 190 4.5.5 Larval Fishes ........................................................................................ 190 4.5.6 Hardbottoms ......................................................................................... 192 4.5.7 Essential Fish Habitat ........................................................................... 193 4.6 Wetlands and Floodplains .................................................................... 199 4.7 Terrestrial Resources ........................................................................... 200 4.7.1 Vegetation ............................................................................................ 200 4.7.2 Wildlife .................................................................................................. 204 4.8 Threatened and Endangered Species (includes State Protected Species) ............................................................................................................. 206 4.9 Cultural Resources ............................................................................... 210 4.10 Aesthetic and Recreational Resources (Including Soundscape) .......... 218 4.11 Recreational and Commercial Fishing .................................................. 219 4.12 Socioeconomics ................................................................................... 220 4.13 Other Significant Resources (Section 122, P.L. 91-611) ...................... 222 4.13.1 Air, Noise, and Water Pollution ............................................................ 222 4.13.2 Man-made and Natural Resources, Aesthetic Values, Community Cohesion, and Availability of Public Facilities and Services ................. 223 4.13.3 Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Wastes (HTRW) .......................... 224 4.14 Employment, Tax, and Property Value ................................................. 224 4.15 Displacement of People, Businesses, and Farms ................................ 224 4.16 Community and Regional Growth ......................................................... 224 5 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE RECOMMENDED PLAN AND THE NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE .................................................................... 225 5.1 Physical Resources .............................................................................. 228 5.1.1 Sediment and Sand .............................................................................. 228 5.1.2 Sediment Characteristics ...................................................................... 229 5.1.3 Sediment Composition in the Nearshore Placement Areas .................. 236 5.2 Hazardous and Toxic Waste ................................................................ 236 5.3 Water Resources .................................................................................. 237 5.3.1 Water Quality ........................................................................................ 237 5.4 Air Quality ............................................................................................. 239 5. 5 Marine and Estuarine Resources ......................................................... 240 5.5.1 Nekton .................................................................................................. 240 Final Morehead City Harbor DMMP and EIS ii 5.5.2 Benthic Resources - Beach and Surf Zone ........................................ 241 5.5.3 Benthic Resources - Nearshore Ocean and Beaufort Inlet Ebb Tide Delta ............................................................................................................. 244 5.5.4 Surf Zone Fishes ................................................................................. 247 5.5.5 Beaufort Inlet Ebb Tide Delta Fish, Crabs, and Shrimp .......................... 248 5.5.6 Larval Entrainment ............................................................................... 250 5.5.7 Hardbottoms ......................................................................................... 252 5.5.8 Essential Fish Habitat ........................................................................... 255 5.6 Wetlands and Floodplains ...................................................................