CONCORD, Mass. – The Town of Sandwich 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 dredging off of Scusset Beach and placing the material on Town Neck Beach in Sandwich, Mass.
The dredging work is proposed in Cape Cod Bay off Phillips Road, Scusset Beach and disposal is proposed in Cape Cod Bay at Town Neck Beach in Sandwich. Disposal at Town Neck Beach is covered by permit NAE-2014-00259.
The proposed work involves the excavation of up to 224,500 cubic yards of sand and gravel materials from a 23-acre subtidal borrow site off Scusset Beach in Sandwich. The borrow site is a 17,000-foot long by 600-foot wide rectangle with depths ranging from -7 feet mean low water (MLW) to -17 feet MLW. The excavation depth will be from 1 foot to 11 feet. This material will be hydraulically dredged with a pump-out cutter-head hopper dredge and transported to Town Neck Beach, where it will be pumped out onto the beach, dewatered, and used for dune and beach reconstruction. The excavation is expected to be completed within two months and will be done between the months of November and March.
The dredging portion of this proposed project will impact approximately 23 acres of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH). Habitat at this site can be described as sandy subtidal. Loss of this habitat may adversely affect species that use these waters and substrate. However, the Corps has made a preliminary determination that the site-specific adverse effect will not be substantial. Further consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service regarding EFH conservation recommendations is being conducted and will be concluded prior to the final permit decision.
The dredged material disposal is proposed for Town Neck Beach. This is an intertidal site, which provides EFH. Habitat at this site can be described as eroding sand beach. Loss of this habitat may adversely affect species that use these waters and substrate. However, the Corps has made a preliminary determination that the site-specific adverse effect will not be substantial. Further consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service regarding EFH conservation recommendations is being conducted and will be concluded prior to the final permit decision.
The application for the federal permit was filed with the Corps in compliance with Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, which provides for federal regulation of any work in, or affecting navigable waters of the U.S.; and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which regulates the discharge or fill of material in U.S. waters, including wetlands.
The public notice, with more specifics on the work proposed by the Town of Sandwich, can be viewed on the Corps website at www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/PublicNotices.aspx.
Public comments on this work proposed by the Town of Sandwich (file # NAE-2016-00624) should be forwarded no later than Sept. 21, 2018 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Regulatory Division (ATTN: Phillip Nimeskern), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager Phillip Nimeskern at 978-318-8660 or toll free 800-343-4789 or 800-362-4367 (if calling from within Massachusetts) or by email to: phillip.w.nimeskern@usace.army.mil.