MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT May 2008 Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, Comprehensive Resource Management Plan and Coastal Environments, Inc. 2008. Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area Environmental Assessment. Prepared for National Park Service, Atlanta, GA. Contract No. 07-041, Biloxi, MS. MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Prepared By: Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Comprehensive Resource Management Plan Biloxi, MS And Coastal Environments, Inc. Biloxi, MS Baton Rouge, LA Prepared For: National Park Service Atlanta, GA May 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ..........................................................................................................................................vi LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................................................vi 1.0 PURPOSE OF AND NEED FOR ACTION.................................................................................................1 1.1 INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................................1 1.2 PURPOSE OF PROPOSED ACTION....................................................................................................1 1.3 PROJECT LOCATION........................................................................................................................2 1.4 DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED ACTION ............................................................................................2 1.5 NEED FOR PROPOSED ACTION.......................................................................................................4 1.6 RELATED ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTS....................................................................................6 1.7 DECISIONS TO BE MADE .................................................................................................................6 1.8 IMPACT TOPICS AND ISSUES...........................................................................................................7 1.8.1 ISSUES EVALUATED IN DETAIL ................................................................................................7 1.8.2 IMPACT MEASUREMENT ..........................................................................................................9 1.9 PERMITS...........................................................................................................................................9 2.0 ALTERNATIVES...................................................................................................................................10 2.1 DESCRIPTION OF ALTERNATIVES .................................................................................................10 2.1.1 ALTERNATIVE A. NO ACTION...............................................................................................10 2.1.2 ALTERNATIVE B. CORRIDOR-CLUSTER .................................................................................11 2.1.3 ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE .................................................................18 2.1.4 PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE.....................................................................................................18 2.2 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED, BUT DISMISSED ...........................................................................19 2.3 COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVES................................................................................................18 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................................18 3.1 GENERAL ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING.........................................................................................19 3.2 GEOLOGY.......................................................................................................................................24 3.3 WATER RESOURCES AND WATER QUALITY................................................................................24 3.3.1 GROUNDWATER .....................................................................................................................24 3.3.2 SURFACE WATER....................................................................................................................25 3.3.3 WATER QUALITY....................................................................................................................26 3.4 VEGETATION AND WETLANDS ....................................................................................................26 3.5 WILDLIFE AND FISH......................................................................................................................28 3.5.1 TERRESTRIAL WILDLIFE .........................................................................................................28 3.5.2 BIRDS AND WATERFOWL .......................................................................................................28 3.5.3 FISH RESOURCES.....................................................................................................................29 3.6 THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES.................................................................................29 iii 3.7 SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS ..................................................................................................30 3.7.1 DEMOGRAPHICS .....................................................................................................................30 3.7.2 ECONOMY AND TRENDS ........................................................................................................31 3.7.3 AESTHETIC AND SCENIC RESOURCES....................................................................................31 3.7.4 RECREATION RESOURCES ......................................................................................................32 3.8 CULTURAL, HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES................................................33 3.8.1 HISTORIC OVERVIEW AND SIGNIFICANCE............................................................................33 3.8.2 CULTURAL RESOURCES..........................................................................................................35 3.8.3 HISTORIC RESOURCES ............................................................................................................35 3.8.4 ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES ............................................................................................36 3.8.5 THREATS TO CULTURAL, HISTORIC AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES ........................37 3.8.6 NATIVE AMERICAN RESOURCES ...........................................................................................38 3.9 AIR QUALITY.................................................................................................................................38 3.10 NOISE.............................................................................................................................................38 3.11 HAZARDOUS, TOXIC, AND RADIOACTIVE WASTE......................................................................39 4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ...............................................................................................................39 4.1 GEOLOGY.......................................................................................................................................40 4.2 WATER RESOURCES AND WATER QUALITY................................................................................40 4.3 VEGETATION / WETLANDS..........................................................................................................40 4.4 FISH AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES .................................................................................................40 4.5 THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES.................................................................................41 4.6 SOCIO-ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT.................................................................................................41 4.6.1 POPULATION AND ECONOMY ...............................................................................................41 4.6.2 AESTHETIC AND SCENIC RESOURCES....................................................................................42 4.6.3 RECREATION RESOURCES ......................................................................................................42 4.7 CULTURAL, HISTORIC, AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES ...................................................42 4.8 AIR QUALITY.................................................................................................................................44 4.9 NOISE.............................................................................................................................................44 4.10 HAZARDOUS, TOXIC, AND RADIOACTIVE WASTE......................................................................44 4.11 ENERGY REQUIREMENTS AND CONSERVATION .........................................................................44 4.12 NATURAL OR DEPLETABLE RESOURCES......................................................................................44 4.13 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS.................................................................................................................45 4.13.1 NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE ....................................................................................................50