Notice of Intent: Designation of an Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site (ODMDS) Off the Mouth of the St. Johns River, FL

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EPA in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District (USACE) intends to prepare an EIS to designate a new ODMDS offshore the mouth of the St. Johns River. The EIS will provide the information necessary to evaluate the potential environmental impacts associated with ODMDS alternatives and identify a preferred alternative that meets EPA's site selection criteria at 40 CFR 228.5 and 228.6. Need for Action: The USACE has requested that EPA designate an additional ODMDS, 4 square nautical miles in size, offshore the mouth of the St. Johns River for the disposal of dredged material from the Jacksonville Harbor Federal Navigation Project and from Naval Station Mayport. The need for an additional ODMDS is based on observed mounding at the existing Jacksonville ODMDS, capacity computer modeling results, and estimates of future proposed projects. Alternatives: The following proposed alternatives have been tentatively defined. 1. No action. The no action alternative is defined as not designating an additional ocean disposal site. The existing Jacksonville ODMDS would reach capacity in 8 to 10 years. 2. Expansion of the existing Jacksonville ODMDS. Expand the existing