1. BOSTON HARBOR DEEP DRAFT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
Project Sponsor:
Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport)
Total Project Cost:
~$300M
(75/25% cost-share)
Schedule:
February 2018-December 2021
Phase I
Maintenance Dredging
Great Lakes Dock and Dredge
-Contract 1 Completed: December 2017
Phase II
Improvement Dredging
Cashman/Dutra JV
-Started 7/9/2018
-3.9MCY dredged to date
-~33% of the current contract is complete
-Expected contract completion: October 2021
Phase III (final phase)
Fast Rock Removal (Blasting)
-Contract advertisement ~ APR2020; award in summer 2020.
-~500,000CY of ‘fast’ rock
-Expected completion: December 2021

3. Corps Regulatory Authority For Dredging
Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 – Authorizes structures and work in navigable waters of the United States. Section 404 of the Clean Water Act – Authorizes the discharge of dredged and/or fill material into waters of the United States; Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuary Act – Authorizes the transportation of dredged material for the purpose of ocean disposal Dredging (Mechanical or Hydraulic) – Section 10 only Upland Disposal – No Corps additional permits required. Confined Aquatic Disposal (CAD) cells – Section 10 and 404 Massachusetts Bay Ocean Disposal Site – Section 10 and 103

4. Corps regulatory review for dredging projects
General Permits for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (GP MA #5) – for minor projects
Self Verification Activity – Maintenance dredging of previously dredged areas to previously dredged depths that meet all the following conditions
Dredged area <0.5 acre;
Not located in right whale critical habitat OR within tidal waters from 3/15 to 10/31 of any year (Endangered Species)
Not located in tidal water from 1/15 to 10/31 of any year or on the Charles River between the Amelia Earhart Dam and the Watertown Dam from 2/15 to 11/15 (Essential Fish Habitat) NOTE: Time-of-year restrictions documented in the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries’ Technical Report #47 can apply for specific waterbodies if they are less restrictive.
No impacts to mudflats, intertidal areas, areas located within 25 feet of salt marsh, within 100 feet of vegetated shallow (e.g. eelgrass), or areas containing shellfish (unless it is determined that areas is not shellfish suitable as per MassGIS shellfish suitability maps).
No return water from upland disposal areas.
Must compliance with GP MA general conditions (see Slide #6).

5. Corps regulatory review for dredging projects (con’t)
General Permits for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (GP MA #5) – for minor projects
Pre-Construction Notification required (formal review required)
Improvement Dredging (dredging to a new depth)
New Dredging (<0.5 acre) or Disposal (<10,000 cubic yards)
Beach nourishment within jurisdictional waters not associated with dredging
Individual Permit Review
New Dredging >0.5 acre in size; involving >10,000 cubic yards of dredged material; >1,000 square feet of impacts to intertidal areas, salt marsh, mud flats; or >100 square feet of impacts to tidal vegetated shallows (e.g. eelgrass beds).
Maintenance or Improvement Dredging and/or disposal with >1 acre of impacts to special aquatic sites (i.e., salt marsh, mud flat, tidal vegetated shallows).
New Dredging where the primary purpose is sand mining for beach nourishment.
Beach Scraping (for dune or beach maintenance).
Boulder removal and relocation for navigation >0.5 acres.
Blasting.

6. Primary GP MA General Conditions to consider for dredging projects
A Dredging Project will require the submittal of a Pre-Construction Notification and a formal application review will be required if any of the following applies:
Dredging Project will alter or temporarily or permanently occupy or use a Corps authorized Civil Works project or associated buffers (e.g. Federal Navigation Project). This may require a Section 408 review (General Condition (GC) #5).
Project occurs within or could cause secondary or indirect environmental effects to areas administered by the National Park Service, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, or the U.S. Forest Service (GC #5).
Project has the potential to cause effects to properties listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places AND the Section 106 (National Historic Preservation Act) Consultation Process has not been completed (GC #7).
Project “may affect” Federal endangered and/or threatened species AND Section 7 (Endangered Species Act) Consultation Process has not been completed (GC #10).
Water Quality Certification must be issued or waived by Massachusetts DEP and Federal Coastal Consistency Determination must be finalized by the MA Office of Coastal Zone Management for the Corps authorization to be final..

7. Dredge Material Testing Requirements for Open water disposal
Section 404 disposal sites [e.g. Cape Cod Disposal Site and CAD sites]
Physical testing (grain size, moisture, TOC)
Composting, if necessary
Bulk Sediment Chemistry testing (metals, PAHs, PCBs, pesticides)
Section 103 disposal sites [Massachusetts Bay Disposal Site]
10 day biological toxicity test
Suspended phase elutriate testing
28–day biological bioaccumulation test and risk assessment model
Marine Analysis Unit’s Weight of Evidence review (site history, contaminate history, environmental risk assessment)
Marine Analysis Unit Point of Contact: Norm Farris (978)