FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT Cleveland Harbor Operations & Maintenance Cuyahoga County, Ohio Prepared by U. S. Army Engineer District, Buffalo, NY April 1974 ■ STATEMENT OF FINDINGS OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE OF CLEVELAND HARBOR Cuyahoga County, Ohio I have reviewed and evaluated, in the light of the overall public interest, the documents concerning the proposed action, as well as the stated views of other interested agencies and the concerned public, relative to the various practicable alternatives in accomplishing operations and maintenance of Cleveland Harbor, Ohio. The possible consequences of these alternatives have been studied according to environmental, social well-being and economic effects, including regional and national development, and engineering feasibility. In evaluation, the following points were considered pertinent: a. Environmental considerations. Dredging Cleveland Harbor to authorized project depths and maintenance to piers and breakwaters makes possible the continued safe navigation in the area. Annual dredging results in temporary increases in turbidity and suspended solids and a decrease of water quality in the project area. Disturbed benthic habitat also results from each year's dredging which impacts upon developing flora and fauna. Periodic breakwater and pier maintenance causes transient dust and noise level increases. Disposal of polluted Cleveland Harbor sediment in Lake Erie open water is undesirable and is opposed by many agencies. Consequently, since 1968, dredged river material has been placed in pilot disposal areas. These sites do not have sufficient capacity to accommodate all the material to be dredged in 1974. Delay in completion of Disposal Site 12, a 2 1/2-3 year capacity area, until August, 1974 may require that strong consideration be given to open-lake disposal of 50,000 cubic yards of polluted, river summer shoaling material (Disposal Site 12 was originally scheduled for completion in April, 1974, but has been delayed due to difficulty in obtaining properly-graded stone material). Two alternatives being considered in lieu of 1974 open lake dumping, should it become necessary, are dump scow bottom dumping in the partially completed Disposal Site 12 or transference of enough compacted material from Pilot Site 9 to the partially completed adjacent Site 12 to accommodate the deposition of 50,000 cubic yards of freshly dredged summer shoal material. Adverse environmental impacts would accrue from either of these two alternatives in direct relation to the length of uncompleted southern wall of Disposal Site 12 since material could escape through the opening into the outer harbor. The latter of these two alternatives would minimize this impact. b. Social well-being considerations. Operations and maintenance of Cleveland Harbor are not expected to adversely affect the overall social well-being of the area's populace. On the contrary, curtailment or dis­ continuance of the project would probably place indirect adverse social impacts on the Cleveland community, since 100,000 jobs are directly or indirectly port-related. c. Engineering considerations. Most of the alternatives considered are technically feasible to include: discontinuance of dredging; open lake dumping of all sediments; chemical treatment of sediments; and the two alternatives described in section "a" which are still being considered in lieu of possible 1974 open lake dumping. The other two alternatives, control of upstream erosion and pollution abatement, are not yet completely attainable and are largely within the jurisdiction of other Federal, State and local agencies. d. Economic considerations. Open-dumping the dredged material in Lake Erie is the least costly method of spoil disposal. It should be recognized, however, that some intangible environmental benefits can be derived from use of inclosed disposal areas after they are filled and compacted. The location and operating procedures of many industries are dependent on the availability of deep-draft water transportation within the project area. Curtailment or discontinuance of maintenance dredging would require these industries to use other, more costly, transportation routes, with major adverse economic effects directly on the industry and indirectly on employees and customers. I find that the proposed operations and maintenance of Cleveland Harbor are based on thorough analysis and evaluation of various available and practicable alternative courses of action for achieving stated objectives; that v.-herever adverse effects are found to be involved, they cannot be avoided by implementing alternative courses of action which would achieve the congressionally specified purposes; that where the recommended action has an adverse effect, this effect is either ameliorated or substantially outweighed by other considerations of national policy, statutes and administrative directives, and that, on balance, the total public interest should best be served by the implementation of the recommended action. Further, I find that should Diked Disposal Site 12 not be completed by August, 1974, the recommended disposal procedures will require temporary revision and approximately 50,000 cubic yards of polluted, river summer shoaling material may have to be deposited in the open lake. Two alternatives to open lake disposal of the 50,000 cubic yards, namely dump scow bottom dumping in the partially completed Site 12 Disposal Area or transference of compacted material from Pilot Site 9 to partially completed adjacent Site 12 to make room for the shoal material, may be possible but would most likely involve higher costs and other environmental problems, such as adverse impacts on the Cleveland Municipal Power Plant and other facilities in the immediate area. BERNARD C. HUGHES ' Colonel, Corps of Engineers District Engineer I concur in the preceding Statement of Findings. DATE: ------ 7 W. 0. BACHUS Brigadier General, USA Division Engineer I concur in the preceding Statement of Findings. FOR THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS: (Date) k. W. MORRIS /Major, General, USA Director of Civil Works SUMMARY Cleveland Harbor Operation and Maintenance Cuyahoga County, Ohio ( ) Updated draft (X) Final Environmental Statement Responsible Office: U. S. Army Engineer District, Buffalo, NY 1. Name of Action: (X) Administrative ( ) Legislative 2. Description of Action; Dredging about 1,225,000 cubic yards of sediment annually, including 50,000 cubic yards of river sediment which may be deposited in Lake Erie in 1974 if pilot disposal sites are filled and ongoing construction of another diked disposal facility is not com­ pleted; maintenance of piers and breakwaters. It is now contemplated that alternative f. below will be used. No open lake dumping will occur without concurrence of EPA. 3. a. Environmental Impacts: Continued safe navigation in Cleveland Harbor; probable deposition of sediment in Lake Erie. b. Adverse Environmental Effects: Probable accelerated introduction of polluted sediment into the lake during 1974 from open-lake dumping of 50,000 cubic yards and annual temporary increases in turbidity, suspended solids, siltation and odor during working periods. 4. Alternatives: a. Discontinuance of dredging b. Open-lake dumping of all sediments c. Control of upstream erosion d. Pollution abatement e. Chemical treatment of sediments f. Dump scow bottom dumping in uncompleted site 12 during part of 1974 g. Transference of compacted site 9 material to unfinished site 12 and subsequent deposition of newly dredged material in inclosed site 9 during part of 1974 5. Comments Received: Citizens for Land and Water Use Cleveland City Planning Commission Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority Cleveland Metropolitan Park District Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation The Kinsman Marine Transit Company Lake Carriers Association The Lake Erie Watershed Conservation Foundation Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Ohio Historical Society Regional Planning Commission - County of Cuyahoga Republic Steel Corporation Sierra Club U. S. Coast Guard U. S. Department of Commerce U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development U. S. Department of the Interior U. S. Environmental Protection Agency ; 6. Draft Statement to CEQ 14 January 1972 Updated Draft Statement to CEQ 7 February 1974 Final Statement to CEQ 2 3 JUL b/4___ Cleveland Harbor Operations & Maintenance Cuyahoga County, OH April 1974 Chapter Subject Page 1 Project Description 1 1.1 General 1 1.2 Outer Harbor 1 1.3 Rivers 5 1.4 Projections 6 1.5 Description of Environmental Studies 8 2 Environmental Setting Without the Project 10 2.1 General Description of the Area 10 2.1.1 Geology Soils and Topography 10 2.1.2 Watershed 12 2.1.3 Climate 12 2.1.4 Population and Economy 14 2.2 Lake Erie Setting 16 2.2.1 Lake Erie Central Basin 16 2.2.2 Circulation Patterns 16 2.2.3 Lake Levels 19 2.2.4 Fishery Resources 21 2.3 Cleveland Harbor Setting 25 2.3.1 The Facilities of Cleveland Harbor 25 2.3.2 Waterborne Commerce 29 Chapter Subject Page 2.3.3 Character and Nature of Harbor Sediments 36 2.3.4 Water Quality 38 2.3.4.1 General 38 2.3.4.2 Cuyahoga River: Inner Harbor 41 2.3.4.3 Cleveland Outer Harbor 43 2.3.5 Land Use 43 2.3.6 Recreation 44 2.3.7 Historic and Archaeological Sites 44 2.3.8 Fishery Resources 45 2.3.9 Birdlife 47 2.3.10 Municipal Water and Waste Facilities 47 3 Environmental Impact of the Proposed Action 49 3.1 Beneficial Impacts 49 3.2 Adverse Impacts 50 3.3 General Impacts 52 4 Any Adverse Environmental Effects Which Cannot be Avoided Should the Proposed Project be Implemented 54 5 Alternatives to the Proposed Action 57 6 The Relationship Between Local Short-Term Uses of Man's Environment and the Maintenance and Enhance­ ment of Long-Term Productivity 66 7 Any Irreversible or Irretrievable Commitment of Resources Which Would be Involved if the Proposed Action Should be Implemented 67 Chapter Subject Page 8 Coordination With Others 68 8.1 General 68 8.2 Comments and Responses on Draft EIS 69 Appendix A Glossary of Terms Appendix B Water Quality Criteria Adopted by the State of Ohio's Water Pollution Control Board Appendix C Letters requesting Historical and Archaeological Data Appendix D Letters of Comment Plates P aSe.