CONCORD, Mass. – The town of Mashpee 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 and disposing of material as beach nourishment in Mashpee, Mass. The work is proposed in various waterways and beaches in the town of Mashpee.

The proposed work is dredging and the discharge of dredged material below the high tide line of waters of the U.S. for the dredging of four waterway sites and disposal of dredge material at four disposal sites in the town of Mashpee. All of the proposed dredge sites have been previously permitted by the Corps of Engineers, and are, therefore, maintenance dredging sites. The four disposal sites are all beach nourishment sites and all but one, Dead Neck (alternative to Wills Work Road Beach), have been previously permitted by the Corps.

The Corps previously issued a public notice for this project in December 2015. Since then, an additional disposal site has been added to the project: Dead Neck (alternative to Wills Work Road Beach). The applicant proposes to dredge 31,150 cubic yards from four areas: Waquoit Bay, Popponesset Bay 1, Popponesset Bay 2, and Popponesset Bay 3. The applicant proposes to dispose of 27,700 cubic yards as beach nourishment at Wills Work Road Beach, Popponesset Spit 1, South Cape Beach, and Dead Neck.

Dredging would be performed by hydraulic cutter head dredge. The purpose of this permit review is to bring all of the town’s dredging and disposal activities under one comprehensive permit. This will give the town the flexibility to dredge and nourish the highest priority areas and allow for effective and efficient use of town resources. The permit would be valid for 10 years. Maintenance dredging and beach nourishment would be authorized for the life of the permit.

The dredging portion of this project will impact approximately 9 acres and the beach nourishment portion will impact approximately 0.6 acre of Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) for various species and life stages. Loss of this habitat may adversely affect these species. 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 public notice, with more specifics on the work proposed by the town of Mashpee, can be viewed on the Corps website at www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/PublicNotices.aspx.

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.

Public comments on this work proposed by the town of Mashpee (file # NAE-2013-1241) should be forwarded no later than June 1, 2016 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Regulatory Division (ATTN: Kevin Kotelly), 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager Kevin Kotelly at 978-318-8703 or toll free 800-343-4789 or 800-362-4367 (if calling from within Massachusetts) or by email to: kevin.r.kotelly@usace.army.mil.