Regulatory Public Notices

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Under the Corps' Regulatory Program, a public notice is the primary method for advising all interested parties of a proposed activity for which a permit is sought. Public notices are also published to inform the public about new or proposed regulations, policies, guidance or permit procedures.

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SPN-2010-00246 Schnitzer Steel Maintenance Dredging

CESPN-DMMO
Published July 26, 2021
Expiration date: 8/30/2021

PROJECT: Schnitzer Steel Maintenance Dredging

PUBLIC NOTICE NUMBER:  2010-00246
PUBLIC NOTICE DATE:  July 26, 2021
COMMENTS DUE DATE:  August 30, 2021
PERMIT MANAGER:  Debra O’Leary  |  TELEPHONE:  415-503-6807  |  E-MAIL: debra.a.oleary@usace.army.mil


1.         INTRODUCTION:  Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. 1101 Embarcadero West, Oakland, California 94607, through its agent, Mr. Jeffrey Cotsifas, Pacific EcoRisk, 2250 Cordelia Road, Fairfield California 94534 has applied to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), San Francisco District, for a 10-year Department of the Army Permit to conduct maintenance dredging at the Schnitzer Steel Oakland Terminal. The purpose of the proposed dredging is to maintain navigable depths for vessel loading and unloading at stages of the tide for commercial vessels. The applicant proposes to dispose of the dredged sediment at either the San Francisco Deep Ocean Disposal Site (SF-DODS), the Port of Oakland’s Berth 10, or beneficially reused at the Montezuma Wetlands Restoration Project site (MWRP). This Department of the Army Permit application is being processed pursuant to the provisions of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act of 1972, as amended (33 U.S.C. § 1344 et seq.) and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, as amended (33 U.S.C. § 403 et seq.) and Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972, as amended (33 U.S.C. § 1413 et seq.).

2.         PROPOSED PROJECT:

Project Site Location:  The dredge site (37.79˚latitiude and -122.29˚ longitude) is located at the Schnitzer Steel Oakland Terminal in the Oakland Inner Harbor, Oakland, Alameda County, California. The eastern and western ends of terminal are bounded by Port of Oakland facilities, the northern edge is bounded the Terminal facilities then by Embarcadero Boulevard and the southern edge by Oakland Inner Harbor.

SF-DODS is located approximately 56 miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge in the Pacific Ocean. Berth 10 is part of the Port of  Oakland and is located Contra Costa California. MWRP is a 2,400-acre site located along the eastern shore of Montezuma Slough, near Collinsville in Solano County, California.

Project Site Description: The 2.5-acre berth and adjacent facilities are primarily used to unload salvaged metal for reuse in other metal products.  

Project Description:  As shown in the attached drawings, the applicant plans to remove approximately 30,000 cubic yards (cys) of sediment from the approximate 2.5-acre berth over the ten-year life of the permit.  Existing depths range from -31 to -54 feet mean lower low water (MLLW).  The design depth for the dredge site is -37 feet MLLW plus an additional 2-foot overdredge allowance.  The material would be removed using a clamshell or other mechanical dredge.).

The applicant proposes to dispose of the dredged sediment at either the San Francisco Deep Ocean Disposal Site (SF-DODS), the Port of Oakland’s Berth 10, or beneficially reused at the Montezuma Wetlands Restoration Project site (MWRP). A barge would be used to transport the sediment.  The sediment would be expected to remain at SF-DODS or MWRP. Sediment taken to Berth 10 would be dried, then transported by rail or by truck to a site outside of USACE jurisdiction. 

Prior to each dredging episode, the Dredge Material Management Office (DMMO) will evaluate the sediments to be dredged for disposal or reuse suitability. The DMMO includes representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The DMMO is tasked with approving sampling and analysis plans in conformity with testing manuals, reviewing the test results and reaching consensus regarding a suitable disposition for the material.  

Basic Project Purpose: The basic project purpose comprises the fundamental, essential, or irreducible purpose of the project, and is used by the Corps to determine whether the project is water dependent. Although the purpose of the project, as stated above, is for safe navigational depths, for consideration in Section 404(b)(1) (Clean Water Act), the basic purpose of the project is the disposal of dredged material.

Overall Project Purpose:  The overall project purpose serves as the basis for the Section 404(b)(1) alternatives analysis, and is determined by further defining the basic project purpose in a manner that more specifically describes the applicant's goals for the project, while allowing a reasonable range of alternatives to be analyzed.  The overall project purpose is the disposal of dredged material from maintenance dredge projects in the San Francisco Bay Region consistent with the adopted LTMS (Long Term Management Strategy for the Placement of Dredged Material in the San Francisco Bay Region) EIR/EIS and LTMS Management Plan of 2001.

Project Impacts:  The detrimental effects on erosion/sedimentation rates, substrate, water quality, fish habitat, air quality, and noise are all expected to be minor and short term.  No permanent negative effects such as undesired substrate alteration, decreased water quality, loss of fish habitat, decrease air quality, and noise pollution are anticipated.  The beneficial effects on economics, employment, safety and navigation, and of the removal of contaminants, are major and long term.

Proposed Mitigation: Compensatory mitigation for this project is not needed and none is proposed. 

3.         STATE AND LOCAL APPROVALS:

Water Quality Certification:  State water quality certification or a waiver is a prerequisite for the issuance of a Department of the Army Permit to conduct any activity which may result in a fill or pollutant discharge into waters of the United States, pursuant to Section 401 of the Clean Water Act of 1972, as amended (33 U.S.C. § 1341 et seq.). The applicant has recently applied to the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) to obtain water quality certification for the project. No Department of the Army Permit will be issued until the applicant obtains the required certification or a waiver of certification.  A waiver can be explicit, or it may be presumed if the RWQCB fails or refuses to act on a complete application for water quality certification within 60 days of receipt, unless the District Engineer determines a shorter or longer period is a reasonable time for the RWQCB to act.

Water quality issues should be directed to the Executive Officer, California Regional Water Quality Control Board by the close of the comment period.

Coastal Zone Management:  Section 307(c) of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. § 1456(c) et seq.), requires a non-federal applicant seeking a federal license or permit to conduct any activity occurring in or affecting the coastal zone to obtain a Consistency Certification that indicates the activity conforms with the state’s coastal zone management program.  Generally, no federal license or permit will be granted until the appropriate state agency has issued a Consistency Certification or has waived its right to do so.

Coastal zone management issues should be directed to the Executive Director, San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, 375 Beale Street, Suite 510, San Francisco, California 94105, by the close of the comment period by the close of the comment period.

4.         COMPLIANCE WITH VARIOUS FEDERAL LAWS:

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA):  Upon review of the Department of the Army Permit application and other supporting documentation, the Corps has made a preliminary determination that the project neither qualifies for a Categorical Exclusion nor requires the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for the purposes of NEPA.  At the conclusion of the public comment period, the Corps will assess the environmental impacts of the project in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. §§ 4321-4347), the Council on Environmental Quality's Regulations at 40 C.F.R. Parts 1500‑1508, and the Corps Regulations at 33 C.F.R. Part 325.  The final NEPA analysis will normally address the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts that result from regulated activities within the jurisdiction of the Corps and other non-regulated activities the Corps determines to be within its purview of federal control and responsibility to justify an expanded scope of analysis for NEPA purposes. The final NEPA analysis will be incorporated in the decision documentation that provides the rationale for issuing or denying a Department of the Army Permit for the project. The final NEPA analysis and supporting documentation will be on file with the San Francisco District, Regulatory Division. 

ndangered Species Act (ESA):  Section 7(a)(2) of the ESA of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.), requires federal agencies to consult with either the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) or the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to insure actions authorized, funded, or undertaken by the agency are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any federally-listed species or result in the adverse modification of designated critical habitat.  Based on this review, the Corps has made a preliminary determination that the following federally-listed species and designated critical habitat are present at the project location or in its vicinity, and may be affected by project implementation.

Central California populations of steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were federally classified as threatened in August 1997.  The steelhead that occur in San Francisco Bay are included in this distinct population segment and therefore receive protection under the Endangered Species Act. There is concern that steelhead migrating through the Bay to streams in the North Bay might enter the Oakland

Central California Coast ESU coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) was federally classified as threatened in October 1996.  The dredging project is located within designated critical habitat for Central California Coast coho salmon (May 5, 1999, 64 FR 24049).  However, the NMFS in its biological opinion dated September 18, 1998 for the LTMS approved Appendix J of the final Environmental Impact Statement.  This Appendix was revised (to correct typographical errors) and re-published in the Record of Decision in July 1999.  The Appendix (now re-labeled Appendix F) has undergone further review and was again revised in the LTMS Management Plan 2001, published in July 2001.  No potential adverse effects to coho salmon are anticipated, however, because the dredging will be performed during the window from June 1 to October 31.

The North American green sturgeon (Acipenser medirosrtis) was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act on July 6, 2006 (71 Fed. Reg. 17757). Critical habitat for the North American green sturgeon southern DPS includes the Sacramento River, lower Feather River, lower Yuba River, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Suisun Bay, San Pablo Bay, and San Francisco Bay in California and was designated on October 9, 2009 (74 FR 52300). The southern DPS consists of populations originating from coastal watersheds south of the Eel River with spawning confirmed in the Sacramento River system.  Adult green sturgeon must travel through the San Francisco Estuary to pass between the ocean and the Upper Sacramento River Basin spawning area.  Additionally, the San Francisco Estuary provides important rearing and holding areas for juvenile and sub-adult green sturgeon.

California least tern (Sterna antillarum browni) was federally classified as endangered in 1970, and therefore receives protection under the ESA.  The terns breed in the eastern part of the San Francisco Bay, from the Berkeley Marina to San Lorenzo Creek within one mile of the coastline. The dredging project is located within the breeding area of the California Least Tern.  A permit (if issued) will contain a condition that dredging is allowed only from August 1 through March 14.

If a permit is issued for this proposed project, it will contain a condition that dredging is allowed only from June  1 through November 30.  Dredging outside this environmental work window would require consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act) and approval from the NMFS and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

  Please note that programmatic biological opinions (BOs) were issued by USFWS (March 12, 1999) and NMFS (July 9, 2015) for the LTMS. As a result of the BOs there are allowable time frames to dredge to protect the habitat for threatened (and endangered) species and the species themselves per Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.  If the dredge work is conducted within those time frames, there is no need for additional consultation.

Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA):  Section 305(b)(2) of the MSFCMA of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. § 1801 et seq.), requires federal agencies to consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) on all proposed actions authorized, funded, or undertaken by the agency that may adversely affect essential fish habitat (EFH). EFH is defined as those waters and substrate necessary to fish for spawning, breeding, feeding, or growth to maturity.  EFH is designated only for those species managed under a Federal Fisheries Management Plan (FMP), such as the Pacific Groundfish FMP, the Coastal Pelagics FMP, and the Pacific Coast Salmon FMP. As the federal lead agency for this project, the Corps has conducted a review of digital maps prepared by NMFS depicting EFH to determine the presence or absence of EFH in the project area. Based on this review, the Corps has made a preliminary determination that EFH is present at the project location or in its vicinity, and that the critical elements of EFH may be adversely affected by project implementation. The proposed project is located within an area managed under the Pacific Groundfish, the Coastal Pelagic and/or the Pacific Coast Salmon FMPs. 

The Corps and NMFS completed a programmatic EFH consultation on June 9, 2011 for maintenance dredging.  One of NMFS’s key concerns with dredging is potential impacts to eelgrass beds.  The “Baywide Eelgrass Inventory of San Francisco Bay,” prepared by Merkel and Associates, dated October 2004, does not show the area in and around the project site as having any eelgrass beds. Therefore, eelgrass is not expected to be established in this area and the Corps does not anticipate that the proposed dredging would affect eelgrass.  Therefore, eelgrass minimization measures are not required.

The recently deposited bottom sediments to be dredged during maintenance dredge activities are composed mainly (approximately 93%) of silts and clays (mud).  It is presumed that fish species utilizing the area would be using it for feeding during a period of growth.  When dredging occurs, the fish should be able to find ample and suitable foraging areas in and along the Oakland Inner Harbor.  As the infaunal community recovers in the dredged area, fish species will return to feed. Therefore, the proposed dredging is expected to have only short-term, minor adverse effects on EFH.

Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA):  Section 302 of the MPRSA of 1972, as amended (16 U.S.C. § 1432 et seq.), authorizes the Secretary of Commerce, in part, to designate areas of ocean waters, such as the Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, and Monterey Bay, as National Marine Sanctuaries for the purpose of preserving or restoring such areas for their conservation, recreational, ecological, or aesthetic values. After such designation, activities in sanctuary waters authorized under other authorities are valid only if the Secretary of Commerce certifies that the activities are consistent with Title III of the MPRSA.  When utilizing SF-DODS, the sediment would be transported through the Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Since the project does not occur in sanctuary waters, and a preliminary review by the Corps indicates the project would not likely affect sanctuary resources.  This presumption of effect, however, remains subject to a final determination by the Secretary of Commerce, or his designee, by the close of the comment period.

National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA):  Section 106 of the NHPA of 1966, as amended (16 U.S.C. § 470 et seq.), requires federal agencies to consult with the appropriate State Historic Preservation Officer to take into account the effects of their undertakings on historic properties listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.  Section 106 of the NHPA further requires federal agencies to consult with the appropriate Tribal Historic Preservation Officer or any Indian tribe to take into account the effects of their undertakings on historic properties, including traditional cultural properties, trust resources, and sacred sites, to which Indian tribes attach historic, religious, and cultural significance. 

Because the dredge site has been previously dredged, historic or archeological resources are not expected to occur in the project vicinity. If unrecorded archaeological resources are discovered during project implementation, those operations affecting such resources will be temporarily suspended until the Corps concludes Section 106 consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer or the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer to take into account any project related impacts to those resources.

5.         COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECTION 404(b)(1) GUIDELINES: Projects resulting in discharges of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States must comply with the Guidelines promulgated by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under Section 404(b) of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. § 1344(b)).  An evaluation pursuant to the Guidelines indicates the disposal of dredged material is not dependent on location in or proximity to waters of the United States to achieve the basic project purpose. This conclusion raises the (rebuttable) presumption of the availability of a less environmentally damaging practicable alternative to the project that does not require the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the U.S. The only potential discharge of dredged sediment subject to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and therefore Section 404(b) Guidelines is the proposed beneficial reuse of sediment at MWRP.  Beneficial reuse is presumed to be the least damaging practical alternative and so an individual alternative analysis is not required for the project as proposed.

If ocean disposal at SF-DODS is proposed for any episode the permittee must provide information establishing to the satisfaction of EPA and Corps that there is a “need for ocean disposal” per 40 CFR 227.14-16.  Note that alternative methods of disposal, including beneficial use, are practicable when they are available at reasonable incremental cost and energy expenditures, which need not be competitive with the costs of ocean dumping. If EPA concurs in ocean disposal under MPRSA, and all EPA-required ocean disposal conditions will be included in USACE’s episode approval.

6.         PUBLIC INTEREST EVALUTION:  The decision on whether to issue a Department of the Army Permit will be based on an evaluation of the probable impacts, including cumulative impacts, of the project and its intended use on the public interest. Evaluation of the probable impacts requires a careful weighing of the public interest factors relevant in each particular case.  The benefits that may accrue from the project must be balanced against any reasonably foreseeable detriments of project implementation.  The decision on permit issuance will, therefore, reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of important resources.  Public interest factors which may be relevant to the decision process include conservation, economics, aesthetics, general environmental concerns, wetlands, cultural values, fish and wildlife values, flood hazards, floodplain values, land use, navigation, shore erosion and accretion, recreation, water supply and conservation, water quality, energy needs, safety, food and fiber production, mineral needs, considerations of property ownership, and, in general, the needs and welfare of the people.

7.         CONSIDERATION OF COMMENTS:  The Corps is soliciting comments from the public; federal, state and local agencies and officials; Native American Nations or other tribal governments; and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of the project.  All comments received by the Corps will be considered in the decision on whether to issue, modify, condition, or deny a Department of the Army Permit for the project.  To make this decision, comments are used to assess impacts on endangered species, historic properties, water quality, and other environmental or public interest factors addressed in a final environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.  Comments are also used to determine the need for a public hearing and to determine the overall public interest of the project.

8.         SUBMITTING COMMENTS:  During the specified comment period, interested parties may submit written comments to Debra O’Leary, San Francisco District, Operations and Readiness Division, 450 Golden Gate Avenue, 4th Floor, Room 1111, San Francisco, California 94102-3404; comment letters should cite the project name, applicant name, and public notice number to facilitate review by the Permit Manager.  Comments may include a request for a public hearing on the project prior to a determination on the Department of the Army permit application; such requests shall state, with particularity, the reasons for holding a public hearing.  All substantive comments will be forwarded to the applicant for resolution or rebuttal.  Additional project information or details on any subsequent project modifications of a minor nature may be obtained from the applicant and/or agent, or by contacting the Permit Manager by telephone or e-mail cited in the public notice letterhead.  An electronic version of this public notice may be viewed under the Current Public Notices tab on the US Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco District website: https://www.spn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory.

 


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Contact Information

Department of the Army
San Francisco District, Corps of Engineers
Regulatory Division
450 Golden Gate Ave., 4th Floor
San Francisco, California 94102-3404

Phone Number: (415) 503-6795
Fax Number: (415) 503-6693
cespn-regulatory-info@usace.army.mil