There Are No Long-Term Local Or Regional Economic Impacts Anticipated Due to These Relocations
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Draft Environmental Impact Statement Section IV.B There are no long-term local or regional economic impacts anticipated due to these relocations. NYSDOT Real Estate staff conducted a Conceptual Stage Relocation Plan to determine the availability of adequate replacement sites. The complete relocation plan can be found in Appendix H. Based on this analysis, sufficient available residential and commercial properties exist on the market to accommodate these relocations. There are no highway construction or other projects by any public or private agency scheduled that would affect the availability of replacement property. It is estimated that the relocations on this project can be accomplished within one year from the date of vesting. B.3. Environmental Consequences This section describes the impacts of each of the Build Alternatives on the natural environment, including water resources, wildlife habitat, parks, air quality, noise levels, cultural resources, and contaminated materials. B.3.a. Surface Waters/Wetlands This section discusses the inter-related topics of surface waters, wetlands, coastal zone resources, navigable waters, and floodplains. The descriptions of the No Build and Build Alternatives presented below are relevant to several of the environmental discussions that follow. No Build Alternative The No Build Alternative would make no physical or operational improvements to the Kosciuszko Bridge, but would continue NYSDOT’s existing maintenance program. There would be little change to existing conditions in the study area, and no fill or excavation would take place in Newtown Creek. Alternatives RA-5 and RA-6 During construction, up to six temporary pile-supported staging platforms would be constructed in Newtown Creek and remain in place until the end of the construction period. Newtown Creek would be dredged to provide adequate depth for barges serving the platforms. Based on the existing bathymetry, dredging is expected be to be required only on the Queens side of the Creek. The dredging would provide a minimum of 5.2 m (17 ft) below mean low water (MLW). This would require removal of approximately 2,750 cubic meters (3,597 cubic yards) of creek- bed sediments, over an area of 2,598 square meters (3,107 square yards). Deteriorated concrete bulkheads along the creek banks would be converted to riprap sideslopes in the area immediately below the proposed new structures. A new stormwater handling system would be installed. Stormwater from the south end of the project (from approximately Sutton Street to Van Dam Street in Brooklyn) would be conveyed to an existing storm sewer system. The remainder of the stormwater runoff would be conveyed to Newtown Creek after passing through stormwater management measures such as specially designed settling tanks designed to remove suspended solids and pollutants from the stormwater run off. New storm-sewer outfalls would be installed on each side of the creek. Kosciuszko Bridge Project IV-35 March 2007 Draft Environmental Impact Statement Section IV.B Alternatives BR-2, BR-3, and BR-5 Similar to Alternatives RA-5 and RA-6, up to six temporary pile-supported staging platforms would be constructed in Newtown Creek and remain in place until the end of the construction period, and dredging in Newtown Creek would be required. Deteriorated concrete bulkheads along the creek banks would be converted to riprap sideslopes below the entire width of the proposed structures. The stormwater handling strategy would be similar to alternatives RA-5 and RA-6. In contrast to Alternatives RA-5 and RA-6, the existing concrete pier foundations would be demolished and removed. Figures IV-15, “Dredging and Temporary Platform Plan,” and IV-16, “Dredging and Temporary Platform Sections,” show the proposed temporary platforms and dredging, and Figure IV-17, “Proposed Riprap – Plan View,” shows the proposed riprap protection. SURFACE WATERS Surface waters are water bodies located aboveground such as a stream, river, lake, sea or ocean. Surface waters in the New York City region are not utilized for drinking water and are protected primarily for their habitat function. Figure IV-18, “Surface Waters,” identifies surface waters in the vicinity of the Kosciuszko Bridge. REGULATORY FRAMEWORK Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 USC 1344), also known as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, pertains to dredging or filling "waters of the United States." By authority of 33 CFR 320-330, USACE has jurisdiction over all "waters of the United States" and a Section 404 permit from the USACE is required to dredge or fill in those waters. State regulation of surface waters is enabled by Title 6 of the New York State Code of Rules and Regulations (NYCRR) Part 703, which sets quality standards for New York State surface waters. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between NYSDOT and NYSDEC regarding Articles 15 and 24 of the Environmental Conservation Law (ECL) was signed February 12, 1997. That MOU authorized NYSDOT to conduct certain activities affecting waterways (e.g., removing streambank vegetation, placing stone scour protection, channelization, excavating or filling navigable waterways) without an individual permit from NYSDEC, provided that NYSDOT coordinates with NYSDEC as prescribed in the MOU. Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (33 USC 1341) pertains to protecting the quality of surface waters. Section 401 requires that an applicant for a federal license or permit to conduct any activity that may result in a discharge into waters of the United States must obtain certification from the state agency charged with water pollution control. In New York, it is implemented at the state level by NYSDEC through the issuance of a Water Quality Certificate. METHODOLOGY Information regarding surface waters was obtained from a literature search and from city, state, and federal agencies and non-governmental organizations. Early coordination meetings were held with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) on August 24, 2004, NYSDEC on April 20, 2005 and May 6, 2005, USACE and USCG on May 12, 2005 and USEPA on June 21, 2005. Kosciuszko Bridge Project IV-36 March 2007 Draft Environmental Impact Statement Section IV.B Direct observations were made during site inspections on June 29, 2004 and April 20, 2005. EXISTING CONDITIONS The Kosciuszko Bridge crosses Newtown Creek approximately two miles east of where the creek enters the East River and New York Harbor as shown in Figure IV-18, “Surface Waters.” Newtown Creek is approximately 90 m (300 ft) wide at the bridge crossing. An estuarine tributary, Newtown Creek has been substantially modified over the years, with bulkheads along the entire length. Several ‘dead end’ tributaries flow into Newtown Creek: Dutch Kills and Whale Creek, approximately one mile to the west of the Kosciuszko Bridge, and Maspeth Creek and English Kills, to the east of the bridge. Newtown Creek has no freshwater sources. Land uses along Newtown Creek are predominately industrial, manufacturing, warehouse, transportation, and utility uses. Several large, vacant, former industrial parcels are located adjacent to the creek. The land uses in the project area are more fully described in Section II.C.1.c. SURFACE WATER IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT Construction Period The No Build Alternative would not result in any short-term changes to the existing surface waters. Construction of the proposed project would disturb Newtown Creek sediment, since all of the Build Alternatives would require dredging of Newtown Creek for construction of temporary barge docking areas. Construction would also include conversion of deteriorated concrete bulkheads along the creek banks to riprap-lined sideslopes in the immediate vicinity of the bridge. Alternatives BR-2, BR-3 and BR-5 would all require demolition and removal of the existing pier foundations along the creek sides. Any ground disturbing activity adjacent to Newtown Creek, such as construction of new pier footings or regrading, has the potential to result in construction- phase erosion and consequently sedimentation in Newtown Creek resulting from stormwater runoff. Any in-water work (such as dredging, placement of riprap, and construction of the temporary platforms) has the potential to cause turbidity in the creek. Potential impacts to water quality and wildlife due to these activities are discussed in Sections IV.B.3.b and IV.B.3.c, respectively. Temporary impacts to Newtown Creek would include narrowing the navigable width of the creek due to the placement of the temporary platforms (refer to section III.C.2.q for navigational impacts). The relative potential impact of each alternative is summarized in Table IV-10. Kosciuszko Bridge Project IV-37 March 2007 Draft Environmental Impact Statement Section IV.B TABLE IV-10: POTENTIAL CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS TO SURFACE WATERS Relative Impact of Each Alternative No Build RA-5 RA-6 BR-2 BR-3 BR-5 Newtown Creek Sediments No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes (Dredging Required) Replace Bulkheads with Riprap No Limited Limited Moderate Moderate Moderate [meters (feet)] 34 (112) 34 (112) 131(430) 131 (430) 131 (430) Removal of Existing Pier Footings No No No Yes Yes Yes from Creek -- -- -- 407 407 407 Area of Disturbance [m2 (ft2)] (4,379) (4,379) (4,379) Operation Period The No Build Alternative would not result in any long-term changes to the existing surface waters. For the Build Alternatives, permanent impacts to the surface waters would include changed creek-bed bathymetry (underwater topography), a modified creek bank configuration, and changed creekbed and creek bank surface materials. The creekbed bathymetry would be altered in three ways: dredging, reconfiguration, and placement of riprap. As shown in Figure IV-15, “Dredging and Temporary Platform Plan,” and Figure IV-16, “Dredging and Temporary Platform Sections,” each of the Build Alternatives alters the creekbed bathymetry on the Queens side of Newtown Creek by dredging approximately 2,750 cubic meters (3,597 cubic yards) of creek-bed material to accommodate construction barges.