DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Marine and Aviation Operations Marine Operations Center-Pacific Proposed Ketchikan Port Facility Recapitalization Project Ketchikan, Alaska Prepared for: Ahtna Engineering Services, LLC 110 West 38th Avenue, Suite 200A Anchorage, AK 99503 Prepared by: AECOM Technical Services Inc. March 2021 Executive Summary Draft Environmental Assessment EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) proposes to recapitalize its property and facilities currently operated by the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) at the existing Marine Operations Center-Pacific (MOC-P) Ketchikan Port Facility. The facility is at 1010 Stedman Street in the city of Ketchikan, Alaska, and is the dedicated homeport for the NOAA Ship Fairweather. Due to failing and inadequate facilities, the existing NOAA homeport is unable to fully support the berthing of vessels or staging for cruises or missions carried out by the NOAA Ship Fairweather or other vessels. The Proposed Action would provide upgrades and replacement facilities necessary to reestablish homeport operations and maintenance functions for the NOAA Ship Fairweather and other vessels. The proposed recapitalization project would more effectively support NOAA missions conducted primarily in the North Pacific Ocean and the Arctic Continental Shelf. The Proposed Action at the Ketchikan Port Facility would require demolition, disposal, and replacement of key structures and infrastructure in a 77,000-square-foot upland area and a 102,000 square foot in-water area owned by NOAA. Nearly all the existing OMAO facilities and assets at its Ketchikan Port Facility would be affected. Proposed actions upland of the high tide line elevation include: • Corrugated metal warehouse building (3,600 square feet)—remains in use with upgrades to replace the existing roof and to install new windows • Prefabricated office building (1,200 square feet)—remains in use • Aluminum-sided storage building (900 square feet)—to be removed • Aluminum-sided electrical power vault building (383 square feet)—to be removed • Fuel/oil spill catchment shelter (832 square feet)—to be removed, graded, and paved • Shoreside laboratory building (1,200 square feet)—to be removed • Asphalt paved and unpaved areas for circulation, parking and outdoor storage—to be removed, graded and paved with asphalt • Buried remnant infrastructure (e.g., fuel pipelines and pumps and abandoned utility conduit)—to be removed • Existing utility infrastructure—to be rerouted on site, as needed • Fencing and gates—to be removed and replaced • Concrete trestle abutment (20 feet by 10 feet; 6 feet below grade) cast in place (CIP)—to be added immediately above mean high water with toe protected by riprap armor • Option to include a 2,500-square-foot single story, pre-engineered metal office building with a concrete pad to include six offices, two bathrooms, conference room, and light storage. ) • Option to add a 2,240 square foot boat launch (140 feet by 16 feet, of which 100 feet by 16 feet is CIP, and remaining 40 feet is concrete panels, each two feet by 16 feet; concrete thickness of one foot). In addition to the proposed actions mentioned above, NOAA would install a self-contained backup power generator (estimated at 175-kilowatts) and double-walled diesel fuel supply for continuation of electrical power for emergency lighting and electronics during infrequent power outages. This unit would also be used for short periods during monthly maintenance. The remaining grounds of the NOAA property would be regraded and paved to accommodate up to 40 parking spaces, typically used during vessel missions by NOAA personnel. A limited number of small boats or watercraft on trailers may also be temporarily parked in paved upland areas and in the warehouse building. Remnant fuel lines and upland utilities—both buried and overhead—would be removed and utility conduits would be rerouted to connect with public utility service lines immediately off site. These service lines include electrical power, potable water, sewer, and telecommunications. A buried sewer-holding tank would be relocated farther upland on the property, requiring excavation of up to 8 feet for removal and installation of a replacement tank. A drainage feature receiving surface water flows from higher elevations and culverts adjacent to and under Stedman Street emerges above ground and flows to the Tongass Narrows at the most southerly portion of the Ketchikan Port Facility property. This drainage March 2021 i Executive Summary Draft Environmental Assessment feature outside of the existing NOAA security fence would not be altered as part of the Proposed Action. No on-site fueling of vessels would occur. All existing in-water infrastructure at the Ketchikan Port Facility would be removed, including the following in-water and over-water structures and assets: • Remnant pile-supported wooden access trestle and parallel utility trestle • Main pile-supported pier structure (9,000 square feet) • Steam plant (boiler) shed on the pier • Concrete mooring platform (750 square feet) with connecting metal catwalk • Three concrete-filled steel mooring dolphins • One single pile extending above the water surface • Floating cylindrical fendering (250 linear feet) In-water work would be performed using equipment stationed on a floating barge or from the shore as needed. Concrete and other nonhazardous materials would be stockpiled for disposal to a regional landfill. Piles would be removed by vibratory methods; if piles incur breakage or splintering during the removal process, the pile would be cut at or about 2 feet from the bottom using a diver with an underwater cutting lance. The preferred pile installation method would apply rock socket techniques; however, the selected method will be based on information obtained during final design of the proposed pier structures. Under the Preferred Alternative, an approximately 240-feet long and 50-feet wide (48-foot pier with 2-foot fendering) floating replacement pier is preferred; however a larger design option of 360-feet long and 50- feet wide is possible and has been evaluated as a worst-case condition. The proposed floating pier would replace the existing pier, its supporting piles and adjacent breasting dolphin. The floating pier would be secured and stabilized by 18 steel piles, each 24 inches in diameter, and accessed via a single, 144-foot long and 17-foot wide cantilever vehicle trestle. The trestle span would be supported by a bridge support float adjacent to the pier and hinged to a 20-foot by 10-foot shoreline CIP abutment. The 24-foot by 22- foot bridge support float would be secured by four of the 18 steel piles specified for the larger, optional main pier design. Replacement mooring dolphins and fenders for mooring would be installed. Ship utilities would be extended dockside attached to either trestle. Under Alternative Action 1, instead of a floating pier, a fixed pile-supported pier would replace the existing pier and breasting dolphin. The fixed pier would have approximately the same dimensions as the floating pier design but would require 60 to 100 steel piles to support the pier deck over water and at least 10 steel piles to support the access trestle. Steel piles would be 18 to 24 inches in diameter. Under either action alternative, an L-shape Small Boat Dock (with 100-foot and 20-foot long sections) totaling 120 feet by 16 feet wide would be installed and secured with six steel guide piles 24 inches in diameter. It would be accessed by a cantilevered gangway approximately 8-feet wide attached to the proposed abutment. In addition, a 2,240-square-foot small boat launch ramp may be installed at the northern portion of the NOAA-owned shoreline. These two action alternatives, and a No-Action Alternative, are being evaluated by NOAA per Section 102 of the NEPA under 42 U.S. Code (U.S.C.) Section 4332, and Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing Procedural Provisions of NEPA at 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1500-1508. This environmental assessment analyzes the potential environmental consequences of implementing either of the action alternatives, as well as effects of the No-Action Alternative. No significant effects to the resources analyzed in this EA would result from the Proposed Action. A summary of potential effects to resource areas and topics analyzed, anticipated best management practices (BMPs), and recommended mitigation measures are presented in Table ES-1. No impacts were identified in relation to any resource topic for the No-Action Alternative. March 2021 ii Executive Summary Draft Environmental Assessment Table ES-1: Summary of Potential Direct Impacts, BMPs, and Mitigation Measures Preferred Action Recommended Resource Phase BMPs and Anticipated Regulatory Compliance Alternative Alternative 1 Mitigation • Watering exposed surfaces. • Covering haul trucks transporting loose material. • Removing visible mud or dirt track-out onto adjacent public roads. • Limit vehicle speeds on unpaved roads. Construction Minor Moderate • Complete paving and grading work in a timely None manner, and lay building pads as soon as possible Air Quality after grading • Minimize idling times • Maintain construction equipment as per manufacturer’s specifications • Minimize idling times Operations Minor Minor • Maintain equipment as per manufacturer’s None specifications • Route truck traffic away from sensitive receptors