1. Prepared for: Prepared by: Identifying and Constructing a Dredged Material Placement Site while Protecting a Unique Coastal Freshwater Marsh October 2012 Kaitlin McCormick

2. Project Overview Recognized a need for environmental restoration at Cove Point Marsh Decided to forgo traditional placement options to address a local environmental need Worked to design a solution to meet both DCP’s need for placement capacity and the Cove Point Natural Heritage Trust’s goal of preserving and protecting Cove Point Marsh 2

3. Project Overview Dredging Component: Modification of Dominion’s offshore LNG Terminal pier to accommodate larger vessels  Expansion of Pier  Dredging of 150,000 cy of material over 30 acres of Chesapeake Bay bottom Environmental Component: Repair of breach threatening Cove Point Marsh  Construction of a salt marsh with armoring material  Re-construction of dune system  Installation of a segmented breakwater  Enhancement of Beach Habitat 3

4. Introduction to Cove Point Marsh Unique freshwater ecosystem along the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay Separated from estuarine waters by Cove Point Beach 41 state rare, threatened, or endangered plant species in or near Cove Point marsh (Steury 1996)  30 in the marsh  5 on the barrier dune  6 around the dune or wetland Beach provides habitat for federally listed beetle Beach was breached during a 4-day northeaster in 2006  Allowed brackish tidal bay water to enter the marsh  Degraded freshwater ecosystem Shoreline north of the Cove Point peninsula has also been eroding 4

5. 5 Cove Point Marsh Breach

6. 6 Shoreline Erosion at Cove Point

7. 7 Project Components

8. Cove Point Marsh Protection Placement Project Project has 3 main components: Repair of the 2006 breach that converted the former freshwater Cove Point marsh into a brackish water system Construction of a dredged material placement site  Continuous containment structure  Placement of dredged material  Creation of tidal marsh Construction of a segmented breakwater and beach nourishment  Protect the beach south of the placement site from shoreline erosion  Enhance habitat for the northeastern beach tiger beetle 8

9. 9 Conceptual Model

10. 10 Dredged Material Placement

11. 11 Constructed Facility

12. 12 Constructed Facility

13. Project Highlights Collaboration with  Local, state and federal resource agencies  Local stakeholders (Cove Point Natural Heritage Trust) Developed a comprehensive plan that met  Environmental concerns and habitat needs of sensitive species  Dredged material placement capacity needs of Dominion Ensured that all the ecological resources along the beach, Cove Point Marsh, and the adjacent areas were considered Addressed shoreline erosion in the project vicinity 13

14. Education and Outreach Partnered with the National Aquarium in Baltimore's Conservation Team Provided volunteer and hands-on learning opportunities for the public with two planting projects  Along the dune system in February 2011  Within the tidal marsh in May 2011 Over 500 volunteers participated from:  Scout troops  Church groups  Leadership Southern Maryland  School groups Worked with the Providence Center to grow marsh plants  Providence Center offers employment services to mentally handicapped adults to grow the marsh plants. 14

15. Questions? – Thank You Kaitlin McCormick Scientist/Project Manager 225 Schilling Circle, Suite 400 Hunt Valley, Maryland 21031 410-584-7000 kmccormick@eaest.com www.eaest.com 15 Scan this code to connect with EA