Extension of Public Comment Period: Providence River and Harbor FNP Maintenance Dredging – Draft DMMP/EA
US Army Corps of Engineers has extended the public comment period for the Providence River and Harbor Federal Navigation Project (FNP) Dredged Material Management Plan and Environmental Assessment (DMMP/EA). Please see the attached notice indicating an extension through July 18th, 2025. An updated notice is now on the project website located at: https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Navigation/Rhode-Island/Providence/ [nae.usace.army.mil]
Meeting and Public Notice: Providence River and Harbor FNP Maintenance Dredging – Draft DMMP/EA Available for Review
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has public noticed the draft Dredged Material Management Plan and Environmental Assessment (DMMP/EA) for the upcoming the Providence River and Harbor Federal Navigation dredging project. The Public Notice and Draft DMMP/EA are attached and available on project website at: Providence River and Harbor Dredging Project [nae.usace.army.mil].
To provide the public with an overview of, and take comments on, the Providence River & Harbor DMMP and EA, the USACE is hosting a virtual meeting Thursday, May 29, 2025, 6:30 – 8:00 PM.
Virtual Meeting: via Microsoft Teams – Thursday, May 29, 2025, 6:30 – 8:00 PM. Meeting link provided in the attached Invite and on project website
AGENDA
1. Introductions
2. Meeting Purpose
3. Draft Report Overview
4. Next Steps
5. Questions
Project Summary
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) proactively identifies and evaluates the full suite of maintenance needs and dredged material placement options at a particular federal navigation project (FNP), in a dredged material management plan (DMMP). In meeting the Federal Standard for the Providence River and Harbor FNP, as defined and codified in law, USACE shall identify the least cost, practicable, and environmentally acceptable plan, referred to as the Base Plan, for maintaining the affected FNP along with considerations of adjacent FNPs and of local dredged material placement requests through at least a 20-year planning period. Therefore, this DMMP is also an integrated report that serves the purpose of documenting both the DMMP report requirements and Environmental Assessment (EA) report requirements in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
The purpose of this DMMP is to present the USACE, New England District’s plan for maintenance dredging and placement of dredged material from the Providence River Estuary including the Providence River and Harbor FNP (Providence FNP) and three adjacent FNPs to restore full navigational utility of the Providence FNP and then to maintain full utility through at least the year 2048. During the 20-year planning period of this DMMP, two dredge cycles are planned based on predicted shoaling rates in the Providence FNP footprints, with the first maintenance cycle to be implemented in 2028 and the second maintenance cycle to be implemented in 2048.
The recommended plan involves:
- Dredging and placement of a total of 4,800,000 cubic yards (CY) of sediments from four FNPs within Narragansett Bay, including the Providence FNP and three adjacent shallow-draft FNPs (Pawtuxet Cove, Bullocks Point Cove, and Apponaug Cove).
- Construction and use of two large CAD cells in Edgewood Shoals, adjacent to the Providence FNP, involving over 5,000,000 CY of excavation.
- Beneficial uses of the excavated material.
- Placement capacity for local non-federal needs in the Narragansett Bay over a period of
at least 20 years, as a betterment requested by the Non-Federal Sponsor, at 100% nonfederal cost.
For more details on the Providence River and Harbor DMMP/EA please refer to the project website located at https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Navigation/Rhode-Island/Providence/ [nae.usace.army.mil].
As stated in the Public Notice, additional information may be obtained from Mr. Sam Bell, Civil Works/IIS Project Management Branch, Programs and Project Management Division, at the return address shown above, or by email at samuel.bell@usace.army.mil or telephone at (978) 318-8727.
Thank you
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Providence-DMMP-EA-Public-Comment-Period-Extension.pdf