The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District (District), requests your review of the Environmental Assessment (EA) titled, Dredged Material Placement, Upper Mississippi River Pool 16, River Miles 475.0-476.6, Linwood Dredge Cut, dated April 2021. Although the emergency dredging took place in 2019, the District is interested in your review and comments regarding the alternative analysis and project outcomes. The District is also letting the public know how the District met its environmental compliance requirements.
The public is invited to submit comments regarding the alternative analysis and preferred alternative for this project through June 7, 2021.
Comments can be submitted via this online COMMENT FORM, through email at: PublicInvolvement@usace.army.mil, or by writing to the address below.
To request a paper copy or CD, contact the District’s Environmental Compliance Branch at 309-794-6104, email: PublicInvolvement@usace.army.mil, or write to:
Department of the Army
US Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District
Attn: Kyle Bales (PD-P) Clock Tower Building
P. O. Box 2004
Rock Island IL 61204-2004
PROJECT INFORMATION
In 2019, the District identified up to 68,000 cubic yards (CY) of material blocking the navigation channel in the Mississippi River Nine-Foot Navigation Channel in Pool 16 between river miles (RM) 475.0-476.6 (Linwood Reach). As water levels continued to drop, the location became challenging or impassable for commercial shipping traffic creating an emergency situation. In order to maintain the Nine-foot navigation channel at the Linwood Reach, the District performed maintenance dredging. The Linwood Reach has no historic dredge material placement sites for use by hydraulic dredge which necessitates preparation of this Environmental Assessment (EA) as a single-purpose Project that focuses on the Linwood dredge cut and its potential placement sites.
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
- No Action
- Dredge to the authorized depth and place at site #8 and #13.
- Dredge and place material at site #28.
- Dredge and place material at site #31.
PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE
Alternative 2. Site #8 and #13 (Preferred Alternative). This alternative involves utilizing Site #8 until capacity is reached. Any remaining material would be placed at Site #13 if needed. This alternative meets all the screening criteria, providing capacity for the 68,000 CYs of material. This alternative also provides the ability for the District to use the sites in the future if the need arises and there is capacity available.