NOTICES
Federal Consistency under the Coastal Zone Management Act; Annual Beach Nourishment Activities at Presque Isle State Park
[47 Pa.B. 510]
[Saturday, January 28, 2017]This notice is published under section 306(d)(14) of the Federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C.A. § 1455(d)(14)), regarding public participation during consistency determinations. The Department of Environmental Protection (Department), Coastal Resources Management Program has received notice that the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is proposing to undertake annual beach nourishment activities at Presque Isle State Park (PISP) in Erie County.
The proposed activities include sand placement and tombolo sand removal/relocation. Sand placement involves placing purchased clean beachfill sand of a suitable grain size on the beach to supplement the nearshore sand transport system and to extend the beach lakeward. Sand is transported from a staging location near the North Pier, loaded onto on-road dump trucks and transported to various staging locations. Tombolo sand removal/relocation involves removing sand from tombolo areas with an excavator and loading into an off-road dump truck. The dump truck transports the sand to predetermined locations and places it back on the beach at that different location. Sand from both management strategies is spread to final dimensions and slope with a bulldozer. Since the start of beach fill placement and prior to construction of the PISP breakwaters (1975—1990), approximately 167,000 cubic yards of beach fill was placed annually. After the breakwaters were constructed the average nourishment amount needed has been 37,307 cubic yards annually (1993—2015), 22% of what was required before the breakwaters were constructed. Tombolo removal has averaged 29,932 cubic yards between 1993 and 2015.
This activity is subject to Department review for Federal consistency because it is a Federal agency activity and will have reasonably foreseeable effects on this Commonwealth's coastal resources or uses.
In accordance with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) regulations in 15 CFR Part 930, Subpart C (relating to consistency for Federal agency activities), USACE has determined that the proposed activity will be conducted in a manner consistent with the applicable enforceable policies of the Commonwealth's NOAA-approved Coastal Resources Management Program. Interested parties may request a copy of the Federal Consistency Determination from the Department contact listed as follows.
Questions regarding this review should be directed to Matthew Walderon, Federal Consistency Coordinator, at (717) 772-2196 or RA-Fed_Consistency@pa.gov.
The Department will consider all comments received on or before February 13, 2017, before issuing a final Federal consistency concurrence or objection. Comments submitted by facsimile will not be accepted. Comments, including comments submitted by e-mail, must include the originator's name and address. Commentators are encouraged to submit comments using the Department's online eComment system at www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/eComment. Written comments should be submitted by e-mail to ecomment@pa.gov or by mail to the Department of Environmental Protection, Compacts and Commissions Office, 400 Market Street, P.O. Box 8465, Harrisburg, PA 17101-8465.
PATRICK McDONNELL,
Acting Secretary
[Pa.B. Doc. No. 17-155. Filed for public inspection January 27, 2017, 9:00 a.m.]
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