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https://hdl.handle.net/11681/38160| Title: | Burns Waterway Harbor Maintenance Dredging and Placement, Indiana : Environmental Assessment |
| Authors: | United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Chicago District. |
| Keywords: | Burns Harbor (Ind.) Dredging Dredging spoil Environmental protection Environmental management |
| Publisher: | United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Chicago District. |
| Abstract: | The primary purpose of this federal action is to support the economic viability of the Burns Waterway Harbor. The first need is to continue to dredge the harbor as needed to support commercial shipping. USACE regularly performs routine maintenance dredging within the Approach Channel and Dredging Maintenance Area in order to maintain appropriate depths for deep draft vessels entering and exiting the harbor. The failure to continue maintenance dredging within the Harbor would result in light loading the vessels and therefore increased transportation costs, which would result in an adverse economic impact to commercial operations. The second need of this potential federal action is to better manage and protect Indiana’s public shoreline through the beneficial use of dredge material suitable for beach nourishment. Due to the current high water levels of Lake Michigan, many beaches are eroding at an accelerated rate, threatening beach habitat and local infrastructure. By placing sand on/near the beach(es), a buffer zone is created that may help mitigate potential damage to the shoreline caused by wave action. The proposed project includes the dredging and placement of sand at near-shore or onshore locations. The physical activity and environmental impacts of dredging and clean sand placement at some sites have already been assessed in previous NEPA documents and are incorporated by reference into this EA (see Section 1.4). They will not be reassessed in this EA. This EA will focus on placement of the dredged sand at the proposed near shore sites and on shore beach sites. |
| Description: | Environmental Assessment |
| Rights: | Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited |
| URI: | https://hdl.handle.net/11681/38160 |
| Appears in Collections: | Environmental Documents |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burns Waterway Harbor Maintenance Dredging EA_2020.pdf | 22.8 MB | Adobe PDF |  View/Open |