IMPROVEMENTS DESIRED. The Xxxxxx Bay aquatic ecosystem restoration project is a collaborative, multifaceted project to restore the Xxxxxx Bay ecosystem. The ecosystem was degraded by many years of urban effects including wastewater discharges from a sewage treatment plant and urban runoff. The primary goals of this restoration project are to improve water quality within the bay, restore the bay's benthic community, improve the status of the bay as a nursery area for aquatic species, and to restore use of the bay as a self-sustaining aquatic habitat, recreational, and economic resource for the urban community. Restoration of the bay is a priority of the city of Jacksonville and Onslow County. The city has already taken several actions important to the rehabilitation of the Xxxxxx Bay ecosystem including decommissioning the wastewater treatment plant which previously released effluents into the bay and replacing it with a modern upland waste application system; purchasing three mechanical water column aeration units and operating them for several years to increase circulation and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in the bay; planting bivalves in the bay to implement bioremediation and biological filtering of the water column; and planting wetlands along the shoreline to restore habitat and improve water quality. The components of the proposed Xxxxxx Bay aquatic ecosystem restoration project complement the ongoing non-Federal measures. These actions to date have had positive impacts on the ecosystem. The Xxxxxx Bay project will include measures to improve aquatic and benthic habitat in Xxxxxx Bay, increase freshwater and brackish habitat, restore floodplains, and address water pollution in the urban environment. The Xxxxxx Bay aquatic ecosystem restoration project includes: mechanical water column aeration by the purchase, installation, and operation of three aerators and the use of three existing aerators; restoration of wetlands along creeks and drainages within the Xxxxxx Bay urban watershed; restoration of a viable benthic community by bivalve planting at Xxxxxx Bay Park; plantings of submerged aquatic vegetation in five areas on the perimeter of the bay; planting of a bioswale in an area characterized with relatively heavy surface runoff within the Xxxxxx Bay urban watershed; and planting of rain gardens in areas characterized with sheet flow. Work completed to date includes rain gardens, bivalve beds, re-planting of staging areas and re-planting of the Xxxxxx school area.
IMPROVEMENTS DESIRED. Potential alternative actions could include xxxxx creation, island creation/restoration of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) beds, and beneficial use of dredged materials to support restoration of nesting islands. Local interests are concerned about significant loss of SAV and decline in water quality which have impacted freshwater fisheries and waterfowl populations. Based on the mid-winter waterfowl surveys conducted from 1961 through 2006, the waterfowl population peaked in 1976 with 305,000 birds. Since then, the waterfowl population has declined well below 50,000 birds, with an estimated average of 25,000 birds per year. PROJECT INFORMATION - Currituck Sound, NC (Environmental Restoration - Investigations) - Continued Of the 21 fish species identified in 1961, only fifteen were identified in 2003. The declines in fish and waterfowl populations are attributed to a significant loss of SAV, a major food source for waterfowl and marine mammals and a critical habitat for a host of vertebrate and invertebrate organisms. SAVs once grew in abundance, covering most of the shallow waters of Currituck Sound and Back Bay. Today, these areas retain approximately 35% and 5%, respectively, of the SAV distributions of 25 years ago.
IMPROVEMENTS DESIRED. Resource concerns for the lower Roanoke River center on the need for restoration of extensive swamp and flood plain forests and fisheries through changes to the flow regime. Federal and state agencies also suspect a correlation between the operation of Xxxx X. Xxxx Dam and Reservoir and fish kills in the lower Roanoke River basin due to low dissolved oxygen levels. The feasibility study is considering changes to operation of and releases from the dam and the resulting benefits and impacts on various project purposes and resources. PROJECT INFORMATION – Xxxx X. Xxxx Dam and Reservoir, VA & NC, (Section 216 - Lower Roanoke) Environmental Restoration-Investigations – Continued
IMPROVEMENTS DESIRED. All communities on Xxxxx Banks are concerned about erosion along their shorelines. This erosion is threatening the primary dune system and the structures which are located along the ocean shoreline. Local interests desire a coastal storm damage reduction project consisting of coastal renourishment to reduce the risk of damage to the upland structures. The tentatively selected plan proposed within the alternative formulation briefing report consists of an 119,670 foot (22.7 miles) long main beach fill, with a consistent berm profile across the entire area, and dune expansion in certain shoreline reaches (approximately 5.9 miles of the project). The main beach fill would be bordered on either side by a 1,000 foot tapered transition zone berm. Sand for the beach fill would be delivered from offshore borrow areas by dredge. The project would be eligible to be renourished every three years following initial construction, in order to build the project back up to the authorized dimensions. Material for the project would be dredged from three offshore borrows locations. PROJECT INFORMATION - Xxxxx Banks, NC (Coastal Storm Damage Reduction - Investigations) - Continued
