The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900 Boston, MA 02114 Charles D. Baker GOVERNOR Tel: (617) 626-1000 Karyn E. Polito Fax: (617) 626-1081 LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR http://www.mass.gov/eea Kathleen A.Theoharides SECRETARY August 21, 2020 CERTIFICATE OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL NOTIFICATION FORM PROJECT NAME : Gallops Island Remediation and Restoration Project PROJECT MUNICIPALITY : Boston PROJECT WATERSHED : Boston Harbor EEA NUMBER : 16245 PROJECT PROPONENT : Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation DATE NOTICED IN MONITOR : July 22, 2020 Pursuant to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA; M.G. L. c. 30, ss. 61-62I) and Section 11.06 of the MEPA regulations (301 CMR 11.00), I hereby determine that this project does not require an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Project Description As described in the Environmental Notification Form (ENF), the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) proposes remedial actions to remove Lead and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminated soils and Non-Friable Asbestos Contaminated Material (ACM) from various portions of Gallops Island and place them in containment facilities on the island. The long-term objective of re-opening Gallops Island as recreational parkland to the public has prompted the effort to remediate contamination and restore the native landscape to the extent practicable. The site has been assigned Release Tracking Number (RTN) 3-0019568 by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). The purpose of the project is to remediate the project site in compliance with the Massachusetts Contingency Plan (MCP, 310 CMR 40.0000). Results EEA# 16245 ENF Certificate August 21, 2020 of the Phase IV Remedy this work indicate that the remedial actions are intended to eliminate Significant Risk to humans and environmental receptors by isolating the Lead, PAH and ACM beneath a soil cap overlying a geotextile barrier with a MCP Activity Use Limitation (AUL). Gallops Island is currently closed to the public (since 2001). Pending the completion of the cleanup and the MCP Response Actions, Gallops Island is anticipated to be re-opened as a recreational facility. Specifically, the project involves excavating contaminated soils on Gallops Island; placing the contaminated material and other debris from past development in two containment area locations into containment areas; capping the containment areas with geotextile fabric, glacial till and other compatible sediment; re-vegetating any disturbed areas; monitoring to ensure that the vegetation gets established; creating pedestrian pathways; and re-opening the island to the public. Project Site Gallops Island is located in the Boston Harbor Islands State Park (BHIP) between Long Island and George’s Island, approximately two miles northwest of Hull, Massachusetts. The BHIP is part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area located within a portion of a chain of islands that is owned and managed by DCR. The Gallops Island is approximately 27 acres in size and is approximately 2,000 feet (ft) long and 1,000 ft wide. The Gallops Island consists of a large drumlin that terminates in a low sandbar at the eastern end, known as Peggy’s Point. Gallops Island is predominantly surrounded by a large granite block seawall except for a sandy and gravel beach along the southern shore. Structures present on Gallops Island include the remaining foundations of demolished buildings, seawalls, a pier and boat dock, and a small pergola and composting toilets. There is also a wooden pier/boardwalk extending into the harbor from the Island’s south side and a pergola on the northern side. Gallops Island is within the Boston Harbor Islands Archaeological District which is on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. During the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Gallops Island was used as farmland, a quarantine hospital and cemetery, a United States military site during the Civil War and World War II, and for recreational purposes until 2001. After World War II, the buildings were demolished. There is no documentation of how much debris was removed from the island during the demolition. According to the ENF, debris was left behind including asbestos containing building shingles near the remnant foundations. The project site includes a variety of wetland resource areas including Coastal Bank, Coastal Beach, Barrier Beach, Coastal Dune, and Land Subject to Coastal Storm Flowage (LSCSF). Based on the current Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) (panels 25025C0104J and 25025C0108J dated March 16, 2016), the site also consists of a velocity zone (VE), and a portion of the proposed capped area falls within the 100-year floodplain and velocity zone to elevation 15 (North American Vertical Datum 1988 – NAVD 88). The intertidal flats at the project site have been mapped by the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) as habitat for shellfish, crustaceans, and shore-zone fish. Finfish species that are dependent on benthic habitat in this system include winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus). In-shore stocks of winter flounder move to shallow protected areas to spawn in early spring, often over sandy or muddy substrates. 2 EEA# 16245 ENF Certificate August 21, 2020 Environmental Impacts and Mitigation As described in the ENF, the project will impact approximately 720 linear feet (lf) of Coastal Bank, 8,500 square foot (sf) of Coastal Beach, 20,710 sf of Barrier Beach, 5,205 sf of Coastal Dune, and 105,300 sf of LSCSF. In addition, 201 cubic yards (cy) of material will be dredged (excavated) to remove ACM below mean high water (elevation 4.3 feet NAVD 88). Measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate Damage to the Environment include implementation of a monitoring plan and sediment and erosion control measures during the construction period. Specifically, the work will be conducted under direct oversight of a Licensed Site Professional (LSP) pursuant to the MCP. The project will incorporate the use of compost filter tubes, or other appropriate temporary erosion / sedimentation control measures, along the perimeter of the limit of work to protect the surrounding resources during construction. For areas of Gallops Island, such as Peggy’s Point, that are within the LSCSF resource area, there will be measures implemented to appropriately prepare for and stage work to minimize erosion during potential forecasted storm events. Jurisdiction and Permitting This project is subject to MEPA review and preparation of an ENF pursuant to 301 CMR 11.03(3)(b)(1)(a) because it requires a State Agency Action and involves the alteration of a coastal dune, barrier beach or coastal bank. The project requires a 401 Water Quality Certification (WQC) and Chapter 91 (c.91) License from MassDEP. The project requires review by the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (36 CFR Part 800) and 950 CMR 71. The project will require an Order of Conditions from the Boston Conservation Commission (or in the case of an appeal, a Superseding Order of Conditions from MassDEP). The project requires authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) under the General Permits for Massachusetts in accordance with Section 404 of the Federal Clean Water Act, as well as Federal Consistency Review from the Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). The project will require a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Construction General Permit (CGP) from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Because the project is being proposed by a State Agency, MEPA jurisdiction for any future review would be broad in scope and extend to all aspects of the project that may cause Damage to the Environment, as defined in the MEPA regulations. Review of the ENF The ENF provided a description of existing and proposed conditions, preliminary project plans, and an alternatives analysis, and identified measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate environmental impacts. Comments from State Agencies were generally supportive of the project. Comments did not identify any significant impacts that were not reviewed in the ENF, note deficiencies in the alternatives analysis, or identify additional alternatives for further review. Comments from CZM indicated that additional measures to stabilize the containment area locations may be warranted in light of future sea level rise (SLR). 3 EEA# 16245 ENF Certificate August 21, 2020 Alternatives Analysis The alternative selected for the project was developed based on consultation with MassDEP during the MCP evaluation process as described in the ENF and Phase IV Remedy Implementation Plan (RIP). The remedial action objectives (RAO) for the alternatives are to reduce exposure to direct contact with the waste and to minimize potential for erosion on the site. The alternatives analysis considered four alternatives in the development of the proposed project including a No-Action Alternative, Alternative 2 (Institutional Controls Alternative), Alternative 3 (Excavation, Off-site Disposal Alternative) and the Preferred Alternative, as described above. The alternatives were screened based on their ability to achieve a Temporary Solution or Permanent Solution at the site in accordance with MCP criteria. The analysis also considered