Dr. Lloyd Saunders
Chief, Planning, Environmental and Regulatory Division
Galveston District
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
P.O. Box 1229
Galveston, TX 77553-122

Attn: Carolyn Murphy and Sam Watson

Dear Dr. Saunders:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is reviewing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(Corps) Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the North Padre Island Storm Damage Reduction and Environmental Restoration Project (PL 106-53). The project consists of dredging a 12-foot-deep by 116-foot-wide channel to connect the existing Packery Channel to the Gulf of Mexico and dredging the existing channel to a depth of-7 feet (mean sea level) and a width of 80 feet. The total length of the proposed channel from the Gulf end of the jetties to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) is approximately 18,500 feet (3.5 miles). Approximately 810,000 cubic yards (cy) of material will be dredged during construction, most of which (544,800 cy) will be placed on the beach south of the proposed jetties. Sandy maintenance material from the channel east of SH 361 bridge will be used for beach nourishment, and a sand bypass system will be designed to move accumulated sand from longshore drift to the downdrift side of jetties. Over the 50-year life of the project approximately 11,000,000 cy of sandy maintenance material will be placed on the beach adjacent to the jetties. Approximately 15,000 cy of estimated maintenance dredging every 5 years will be placed in an upland site.

Recreational development is proposed by the City of Corpus Christi in conjunction with Packery Channel, but is not part of the Federal cost-shared project. The proposed recreational development is described in the DEIS as secondary development. Proposed park amenities encompass approximately 14.2 acres and include access to Packery Channel, the beach and the jetties; passenger and recreational vehicle parking; walkways; restrooms and vendor facilities. The two potential City of Corpus Christi parks are proposed along the western reach of Packery Channel.

Two copies of the DEIS were received by the Service on June 19, 2002. The Service has identified seven major issues in the DEIS, as they relate to the proposed channel dredging project, that should be addressed in coordination with the Corps, the City of Corpus Christi, (the local sponsor), the