Public Notice
|
|
Public Notice
|
NOTICE OF COMPLETION OF
FINAL FEASIBILITY REPORT AND FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT ON
DELAWARE COAST FROM CAPE HENLOPEN TO FENWICK ISLAND
BETHANY BEACH / SOUTH BETHANY INTERIM FEASIBILITY STUDY
The District Engineer, Division Engineer, and State of Delaware have completed a feasibility study of erosion and storm damage problems along the Delaware Coast at Bethany Beach and South Bethany, Delaware. This feasibility study was prepared in response to the authority of a resolution adopted by the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on 23 June 1988.
The reporting officers evaluated several alternative plans and recommend authorization of a plan for storm protection for the study area. The recommended project is technically and environmentally sound and economically justified. The plan developed in the feasibility study consists of a project in two segments, one covering the town of Bethany Beach and the other covering the town of South Bethany. For both towns the selected plan calls for a dune and berm configuration extending seaward 150 feet from the design line. From the seaward toe of the dune, the berm extends 35 feet seaward at an elevation of +7 feet-NAVD. The dune has a top elevation of +16 feet-NAVD with 25-foot top and 115-foot base widths, and side slopes of 1V:5H. Transition tapers extend from the north and south town boundaries of Bethany Beach for approximately 1,260 feet. Transition tapers for the South Bethany segment extend from the north and south town boundaries for approximately 1,540 feet. The total length of proposed beach fill for the two segments is approximately 14,950 feet. The plan includes dune grass, dune fencing, and suitable beach fill with periodic nourishment to ensure the integrity of the design.
Lands, easements, and rights-of-way are included as required for the initial construction and maintenance of the project. The plan requires 3,453,000 cubic yards of initial fill to be placed from a designated offshore borrow site, and subsequent periodic nourishment of 480,000 cubic yards every 3 years for 50 years.
Based on October 1997 price levels, the total first cost of the project is estimated at $22,094,000, of which $14,361,000 would be Federal and $7,733,000 would be non-Federal. Periodic nourishment costs are currently estimated at $4,528,000 on a three-year-cycle over a 50 year project life. Average annual benefits are estimated at $5,146,000 and average annual costs are estimated at $3,277,000. The benefit-to-cost ratio is 1.6, with net average annual benefits estimated at $1,869,000.
The recommendations contained within the report reflect the information available at this time, and current policies governing the formulation of individual projects. They do not reflect program and budgeting priorities inherent in the formulation of a national Civil Works construction program, nor the perspectives of higher review levels within the Executive Branch. Consequently, the recommendations may be modified before they are transmitted to the Congress as proposals for authorizations and/or implementation funding.
As a result of formal coordination, the recommendations contained in the report are supported by Federal, state, regional, and local agencies. All comment letters and responses are provided in the final report. Sponsorship for the project will be provided by the State of Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. DNREC has expressed its support for the recommended plan.
Public involvement and coordination actions during the entire feasibility study were undertaken through newsletters, conferences, presentations, and public notices.
The report is being forwarded for Washington level policy review and decision-making by the Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. This report review is coordinated by the Policy Review Branch of the Headquarters Policy Review and Analysis Division, which administers a review of the report by the affected states and other Federal agencies. Based upon the report review, the Chief of Engineers will prepare a report and forward a recommendation on the project to the Secretary of the Army. If the Chief s recommendation is significantly different from the recommendation coordinated with the state and Federal agencies, the state and agencies will be afforded an opportunity to comment further prior to submission of the Chief s report to the Secretary. Following completion of the Chief of Engineer's report, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, in consultation with the Office of Management and Budget, then establishes the Administration position on whether the proposal should be recommended to the Congress for authorization.
Interested parties may present written views on the report by mailing their comments to the Policy Review Branch, Policy Review and Analysis Division, Kingman Building, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, 22060-5576, in time to reach the Policy Review Branch within 30 days of the date of this Notice. If extension of this date is necessary, a written request stating the reason and additional time desired should be provided to the Policy Review Branch soon after the receipt of this Notice. Copies of information received by mail will be -regarded as public information (unless the correspondent limits its effective value by requesting otherwise), and may by inspected and notations made therefrom by other interested parties, in the office of the Policy Review Branch. The Chief of Engineers will not take final action on the report until after expiration of this Notice, or any extension thereof that may be granted, and full consideration of all information submitted in response thereto. Statements submitted should not repeat material contained in the report since this information is already available to the Policy Review Branch. Information submitted should be new, specific in nature, and bear directly on the findings of the report.
Further information may be obtained from the District Engineer, U.S. Army Engineer District, Philadelphia, 100 Penn Square East, CENAP-PL, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19107-3390. Mr. Timothy DeWire, study manager with the Planning Division, is available at 215-656-6591 to answer questions, but not to accept views on the report recommendations. Interested parties may obtain copies of the Final Feasibility Report and Final Environmental Impact Statement, and Technical Appendices from the District Engineer at the cost of reproduction of the Final Feasibility Report and appendices. The report may be reviewed by interested parties at the Philadelphia District office and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control - Division of Soil and Water Conservation office in Dover (89 Kings Highway, Dover, Delaware 19903).
Please pass along a copy of this Public Notice to anyone who may be interested in the report and has not received a copy.
SIGNED: