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Corps' consultant,
PBS&J, and other state and Federal agencies as appropriate, prior to the
preparation of the final Environmental Impact Statement for this project. Subsequent to the
Service's in-house review of the DEIS, Service representatives participated in an
inter-agency
meeting on July 8, 2002, with representatives of the Corps, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
(TPWD), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Texas General Land Office (TGLO), Texas
Highway Department (TXDOT), Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC), City
of Corpus Christi (CC), and PBS&J. At the July 8th meeting, discussion of and coordination on a
number of issues relative to the DEIS and proposed project was initiated. Following are brief
summaries of the Service's primary issues relative to the DEIS and proposed channel dredging
project:
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In general, the proposed channel dredging was characterized (salinity, tidal effects and
expected habitat changes) on a scale that included all of Corpus Christi Bay and Upper
Laguna Madre to Baffin Bay. The grid of the mathematical model set the Mollie Beattie Coastal Habitat Preserve (MBCHP) area in a wide pattern so that less information per area was gained for MBCHP than for other areas included in the model. Additionally, the modeling was restrained by using constant wind velocities and tidal elevations in an area where wind velocities change dramatically and where tidal influence is expected. Understandably, the modeling results indicated a very slight impact when averaged over such a broad area and reported only for the model once it had reached equilibrium; however, as presented, more immediate impacts, specifically to the MBCHP, are not adequately
addressed. As a result of the July 8th meeting, additional information is being compiled for
the agencies which may assist in the assessment and characterization of the impacts of the proposed channel on the MBCHP and other adjacent areas so that this can be included in the final EIS. To date, additional modeling data has been submitted for several key data points in the modeling study. The data includes with and without Packery channel data for those data points in the 2000 series, but fails to include data without Packery channel for some points in the 5000 series that are currently in water. Data simulated without Packery Channel for the 5000 series would be helpful in determining the significance of the with Packery channel data from the same series.
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The MBCHP as noted in the DEIS is a preserve established by a Memorandum of Agreement between the TGLO and the Service and managed by a team that includes representatives of TGLO, the Service, TPWD, and the National Audubon Society. A Management Plan (MBCHP MP) written by the team outlines general framework for the preservation and stewardship of the site as well as educational goals. As stated in the MBCHP MP, the plan's mission is to promote protection and conservation of the piping plover and other key species of concern and their habitats. Note was made at the July 8th meeting that a portion of Reach 2 of the proposed channel is actually within the MBCHP, not adjacent to it, as is noted in the DEIS. As such, at least this portion of the proposed channel needs to be reviewed relative to the existing MBCHP MP. However, the channel project as a whole could have significant direct and indirect impacts to the MBCHP, and as noted in the first item above, there is a need to identify and characterize the significance of those affects. The Management Team
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