The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is seeking a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, to conduct work in waters of the U.S. in conjunction with expanding an existing dry dock in Kittery, Maine.
In summary, the proponent proposes to place temporary and permanent fill material and perform work below the high tide line of the Piscataqua River in Kittery.
The first phase of the project will involve constructing a super flood basin by enclosing approximately 151,500 square feet (3.48 acres) of the river, channelward of the existing Dry Dock 1 entrance.
The final phase will be to construct a Multi-Mission Dry Dock within the basin which will create two additional Los Angeles and Virginia class-capable dry dock positions.
A total of 85,850 cubic yards of silt, sand, and rock will be dredged from within the super flood basin and outside its closure wall.
This material will be disposed of in an upland, non-wetland location. The Navy proposes these modifications to support current and projected submarine maintenance and overhaul missions beyond 2021.
The deadline for public comments on the proposed work is March 7, 2019.