USACE publishes proposed Draft SEA for Florida Shore Protection

USACE Jacksonville is announcing the publication of a proposed Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) and Draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment (SEA) for Duval County, Florida Shore Protection Project, Duval County, Florida, for public review and comment.

The documents evaluate selecting a sand source for continued use of up to 2.1 million cubic yards of material for each periodic or emergency renourishment event for the beach and sand dune nourishment of the Duval County, Florida, Shore Protection Project (SPP).

The Duval County SPP encompasses the renourishment of approximately 10 miles of Atlantic shoreline in Duval County extending from the St. Johns River to the Duval-St. Johns County boundary, said USACE.

The Preferred Alternative under consideration provides for the continued use of Borrow Area Shoal S, for which NEPA analysis was conducted in 2015. The new draft SEA supplements information contained in previous NEPA documents completed for this project and examines potential effects from continued dredging of sand from the borrow area.

The study area lies approximately 6.5 to 8.5 miles east of Jacksonville Beach, within federal waters located 8 to 10 miles southeast of the St. Johns River entrance on the Outer Continental Shelf, where approximately 3.6 million cubic yards of beach compatible sand have been identified.

USACE has requested the use of up to 2.1 million cubic yards of material for each periodic or emergency re-nourishment event at the Duval County SPP until the borrow area is depleted.

Comments will be accepted for review and consideration for a 30-day period, said USACE.