Permitting a Marine Container Terminal on the Former Charleston Naval Station
Type:
Presented during:
WODCON XVIII - 2007 Orlando, Florida, USA
Authors:
Ellis
Abstract: The South Carolina State Ports Authority (SPA) submitted a permit application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to construct and operate a marine container terminal at the Charleston Naval Complex (CNC), a former naval shipyard and naval station. Applied Technology and Management (ATM) was selected to provide NEPA support services to the Corps and develop a comprehensive EIS.
Also included in the EIS is an access roadway permit application by the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) to reduce the impact of port traffic on local roads. Due to regional growth within the Charleston region, the addition of traffic from the Proposed Project on the Interstate System was also assessed and determined to cause some increased congestion and traffic delays.
The proposed facility consists of a 286.5-acre terminal with a 3,510 feet long wharf fronting the Cooper River. Twelve cranes will be positioned along the wharf to service three post-Panamax ships. The construction of the Proposed Project would require dredging 6.5 million cubic yards of material. Dredge and fill activities to construct the proposed facility will impact 10.4 acres of tidal wetlands, 63 acres of upland forest, and 152 acres of open water. Potential impacts to aquatic and terrestrial resources were addressed through a thorough dredged material environmental effects evaluation. Impacts to existing sedimentation patterns and rates in the Federal Navigation Channel were also modeled.
The EIS also evaluated the increase of non-point loads from stormwater runoff and mobile air emissions from marine vessels, and trucks. Impacts to dissolved oxygen levels in the lower Cooper River were included. The EIS also evaluated impacts to Threatened and Endangered Species and Essential Fish Habitat (EFH). Due to community concerns about the Proposed Project, the EIS process proactively sought to disseminate information through a Public Outreach Program which included neighborhood outreach meetings; workshops; a website; a telephone hotline; and newsletters.
Keywords: NEPA, environmental impact statement, dredging, state ports authority