Environmental Assessment Yaquina Bay and River Maintenance Dredging
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ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT YAQUINA BAY AND RIVER MAINTENANCE DREDGING Prepared For US Army Corps of Engineers Portland District PO Box 2946 Portland, OR 97208 Prepared By 600 University Street, Suite 610 Seattle, WA 98101 June 30, 2015 Yaquina Bay and River Maintenance Dredging Environmental Assessment EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Yaquina Bay and River Federal Navigation Project was authorized by the Rivers and Harbors Acts of: June 14, 1880, March 2, 1919, August 26, 1937, March 2, 1945, July 24, 1946, July 3, 1958, and a RHA section 107 Project from July 14, 1960. Dredging Yaquina River (including Depot Slough) was authorized by Congress under the RHA of March 4, 1913 and a RHA section 107 Project in 1960. These authorizations include the construction, operation and maintenance of two jetty structures and other navigation-related features, and maintenance of the navigation channels through the mouth of Yaquina Bay up the Yaquina River to about RM 14. The purpose of the Yaquina Bay and River Federal Navigation Project (the “Project”) is for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District (Corps) to maintain the federal navigation channels, which also includes the South Beach Marina Federal Access Channel and the Depot Slough Access Channel, at their authorized depths and widths by periodically removing restricting shoals of naturally occurring sediment material. These ongoing maintenance dredging activities provide adequate channel dimensions for vessel access and use upstream to approximately river mile (RM) 14. By maintaining adequate navigational dimensions, the Project further serves to decrease waiting times and increase navigability for vessels crossing the entrance bar. Periodic shoals develop within the Yaquina Bay and River navigation channels due to the buildup of materials from fluvial and marine origins. Shoals and sedimentation can restrict or prohibit vessel navigation and dredging to authorized depths and widths is critical to keeping the river and harbor open and to sustaining important navigation components of the local and state economy, as well as maintaining a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) “critical harbor of refuge” for vessels in need. While authorized up to RM 14, most of the Yaquina River Channel does not currently require regular maintenance dredging and future plans to dredge the entire River Channel are not proposed. Three areas are proposed for continued maintenance dredging as part of the Project: (1) Yaquina Bay Entrance Channel (up to 450,000 cubic yards annually); (2) 25,000 cubic yards from the South Beach Marina Access Channel once every five to eight years; (3) 100,000 cubic yards from Depot Slough once every five to eight years. Dredging and placement activities occur between about June 15 or July 1 to October 31 depending on the specific location (of any given year) with an additional 6 days of dredging/placement completed in April or May. Ocean conditions, potential storm surges, inclement weather, and difficulty in crossing the bar to reach one of two authorized Offshore Dredged Material Disposal Sites (ODMDS) all preclude safe and effective operations of necessary dredging activities during the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) preferred in-water work period. Most dredging operations work 24-hours per day depending upon weather, staffing, and other factors. Multiple environmental effects from dredging and placement activities on resources in the Project vicinity were considered in this Environmental Assessment (EA), which updates prior environmental June 30, 2015 i Yaquina Bay and River Maintenance Dredging Environmental Assessment assessments completed for the Project. The analysis finds that the Preferred Alternative would not substantially affect the quality of the environment. June 30, 2015 ii Yaquina Bay and River Maintenance Dredging Environmental Assessment TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................... I ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ........................................................................................................ IV 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Purpose and Need ......................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Authority ......................................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Funding .......................................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Project Area ................................................................................................................................... 3 1.5 Background and History ................................................................................................................ 8 1.5.1 Jetty Construction and Repair .............................................................................................. 8 1.5.2 Maintenance Dredging and Improvements .......................................................................... 9 1.5.3 Dredged Material Placement .............................................................................................. 10 2. ALTERNATIVES .......................................................................................................................... 11 2.1 No Action Alternative ................................................................................................................... 11 2.2 Preferred Alternative .................................................................................................................... 11 2.2.1 Proposed Dredging Activities ............................................................................................. 12 2.2.2 Proposed Dredge Material Placement ............................................................................... 13 2.2.3 Proposed Dredging and Placement Methods ..................................................................... 14 2.2.4 Channel/River Management ............................................................................................... 17 3. AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ....................................................................................................... 18 3.1 Physical Environment .................................................................................................................. 18 3.1.1 Geology .............................................................................................................................. 18 3.1.2 Coastal Processes .............................................................................................................. 19 3.1.3 Hydrology ............................................................................................................................ 23 3.1.4 Sediment Quality ................................................................................................................ 24 3.1.5 Water Quality ...................................................................................................................... 26 3.1.6 Sound ................................................................................................................................. 28 3.1.7 Air Quality ........................................................................................................................... 29 3.2 Biological Resources ................................................................................................................... 30 3.2.1 Aquatic Plants, Animals and Habitat .................................................................................. 30 3.2.2 Shoreline and Terrestrial Plants, Animals and Habitat ....................................................... 33 3.2.3 Threatened and Endangered Species ................................................................................ 34 3.3 Other Resources .......................................................................................................................... 41 3.3.1 Cultural and Historic ........................................................................................................... 41 3.3.2 Socioeconomic ................................................................................................................... 42 3.3.3 Recreation .......................................................................................................................... 44 4. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ...................................................................................... 46 4.1 Physical Environment .................................................................................................................. 46 4.1.1 Geology .............................................................................................................................. 46 4.1.2 Coastal Processes .............................................................................................................. 46 4.1.3 Hydrology ............................................................................................................................ 48 4.1.4 Sediment Quality ................................................................................................................ 49 4.1.5 Water Quality .....................................................................................................................