The Wilmington District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), will hold a public meeting from 4 – 6 p.m. on Aug. 7, 2012 at the Coastline Convention Center, Room D, to solicit comments and concerns from the public, and federal, state and local agencies on the Wilmington Harbor Navigation Improvements Feasibility Study.
The Wilmington Harbor project is a 42-44-foot-deep draft port in the Cape Fear River near Wilmington on North Carolina’s southeastern coast. The feasibility study will examine the potential for making improvements to three areas of the existing navigation channel that are posing problems and creating inefficiencies for ships transiting the Port of Wilmington.
These three areas are:
1. Entrance channel near Bald Head Island;
2. Battery Island Turn;
3. Anchorage/Turning Basin.
The state of North Carolina supports this project and signed a Feasibility Cost Sharing Agreement on April 25 to participate in the cost-shared study.
An environmental assessment (EA) or environmental impact statement (EIS), depending upon the environmental impacts of the potential project, will be prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This public meeting initiates the NEPA scoping process. Comments received at the public meeting as well as written comments will be considered during preparation of the NEPA document.
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Dredging Today Staff, August 6, 2012