United states department of interior bureau of ocean energy management

4.0 -ANTICIPATED EFFECTS OF THE PROPOSED RESTORATION PROJECT

4.1Red Knot and Piping Plover

East Timbalier Island and West Belle Headland currently consists of eroding and fragmented shoreline, low elevation saline marsh, and sparse supratidal mangrove habitat. The proposed project area is highly susceptible to over-wash and conversion of land to open water. The Project area provides foraging habitat for shorebirds on remnant patches of intertidal beach, over-wash fans, or sand and mud flats exposed during seasonally low tides. Little to no roosting habitat (i.e., unvegetated or sparsely vegetated beach above high tide) exists within the project area due to the low elevations of the remaining sandy areas. Because of the lack of roosting habitat, we would expect any shorebirds foraging in the project area to fly daily to other islands for roosting as a normal behavior.

Red knot and piping plover rely on barrier landscapes for 8 to 10 months out of the year while overwintering in Louisiana. Potential project-induced impacts would consist of temporary displacement to nearby suitable habitat and loss of benthic prey species smothered within the Project footprint during construction activities. Any impacts that would occur to existing designated critical habitat on West Belle Headland would be temporary, and would provide for the long-term maintenance and/or enhancement of critical habitat in this area. There would be no permanent negative impacts to water quality, natural processes, or critical habitat that would change the ecological processes that maintain it. Since the West Belle Headland Restoration Area will only impact portions of the area during active construction, it is likely that the remainder of the West Belle Headland and adjacent habitats on the Caminada Headland and Timbalier Island could provide suitable foraging habitat to red knot and piping plover until all construction is completed. The benthic prey species impacted by the additional sediment in the project area will naturally re-colonize within 6 months to 2 years post-construction and shorebirds would not be permanently excluded from the project area. Based on these factors, it is the determination of the Project team that the Project is likely to adversely affect these species, and it is requested that the USFWS prepare a biological opinion for this project as required by the ESA.

4.2Atlantic Sturgeon

Impacts to the Atlantic sturgeon are unlikely. The current range of Atlantic sturgeon is not believed to be west of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Because the proposed project is west of the Mississippi River, CPRA believes that the chance of an Atlantic sturgeon being affected by the project is unlikely. Given the unlikelihood of this event, CPRA believes that the proposed action would not likely adversely affect the species.

4.3West Indian Manatee

Manatee occurrences have been regularly reported in the canals and along the coastline of Louisiana. Collision with boats and barges is one of the primary anthropogenic causes of manatee mortalities. To avoid any impacts to the West Indian Manatee, all contract personnel associated with the Project will be informed of the potential presence of manatees, manatee speed zones, and the need to avoid collisions with and injury to manatees. All personnel will be advised that there are civil and criminal penalties for harming, harassing, or killing manatees which are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Additionally, personnel will be instructed not to attempt to feed or otherwise interact with the animal, although passively taking pictures or video would be acceptable. All construction personnel will be required to monitor all water-related activities for the presence of manatee(s). Temporary signs will be posted prior to and during all construction/dredging activities to remind personnel to be observant for manatees during active construction/dredging operations or within vessel movement zones (i.e., work area), and at least one (1) sign will be placed where it is visible to the vessel operator. Siltation barriers, if used by the contractor, will be made of material in which manatees could not become entangled, and will be properly secured per technical specifications provided by the manufacturer. If a manatee is sighted within 100 yards of the active work zone, special operating conditions will be implemented, including:

• No operation of moving equipment within 50 feet of a manatee;

• All vessels will operate at no wake/idle speeds within 100 yards of the work area;

• Siltation barriers, if used, will be monitored and re-secured as necessary.

Any manatee sighted would be immediately reported to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (337-291-3100) and the Louisiana Department of Natural Heritage Program (225-765-2821). Once the manatee has left the 100-yard buffer zone around the work area on its own accord, special operating conditions are no longer necessary, but careful observations will resume. Care will also be taken to avoid entrapment of individuals inside of dredged material areas that have dikes that enclose the areas where Project features area designed to be constructed in areas of open water. The area will be inspected for the presence of manatees before completion of closure of the confining features and before material is discharged into the receiving area. Any manatee that is sighted will be allowed to leave the area before work resumes.

By implementing the above-mentioned manatee monitoring and avoidance program, it is the determination of the Project team that the proposed Project may affect, but will not likely adversely affect the endangered West Indian Manatee. Since Louisiana has no resident population of the Florida subspecies of the West Indian manatee and the protection measures will be implemented, it is assumed that the proposed project is not likely to adversely affect the species.

4.4Sea Turtles

The Project proposes use of hydraulic cutterhead dredges at the nearshore borrow areas and either hydraulic cutterhead or hopper dredges at the offshore borrow areas. Turtles are typically able to avoid cutterhead dredge intakes because the dredges move along the seabed at such a slow speed. On West Belle Pass headland, sediment used to construct the containment dikes will be dredged from existing material inside the marsh creation area. On East Timbalier Island, the marsh containment dike will be constructed from sand excavated from the Ship Shoal or South Pelto Borrow Areas, transported to the pump-out area, offloaded via the sediment pipeline, and deposited to create the dike. The sediment would be mechanically shaped. Therefore, dredging operations associated with the containment dikes are not expected to adversely impact sea turtles.

In summary, given the potential that hopper dredges may be used to construct this Project, it is anticipated that Kemp’s Ridley, Green, and Loggerhead Sea Turtles are vulnerable to injury and death from the use of hopper dredging for dredging the South Pelto and Ship Shoal Borrow Areas for this Project. Impacts associated with the placement of fill on the islands are discussed below for each species of threatened/endangered sea turtles.

4.4.1Green Sea Turtle

Due to the lack of extensive seagrass beds throughout much of coastal Louisiana, and the low incidence of sightings and strandings, it is the determination of the Project team that placement of fill on East Timbalier Island and West Belle Headland is expected to have no effect on the green sea turtle population. Since the East Timbalier and West Belle Headland project would comply with all USFWS and NMFS operations protocols, CPRA concludes that the Project is not likely to adversely affect this species.

4.4.2Hawksbill Sea Turtle

It is the determination of the Project team that placement of fill on East Timbalier Island and West Belle Headland will have no effect on hawksbill populations due to its rarity along the Louisiana coast.

4.4.3Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle

The proposed project would provide more suitable inshore habitat for foraging. This habitat type is characterized by lower salinity and high turbidity and organic content, where shrimp and blue crabs are abundant. Since the East Timbalier and West Belle Headland project would comply with all USFWS and NMFS operations protocols, CPRA concludes that the Project is not likely to adversely affect this species.

4.4.4Leatherback Sea Turtle

This pelagic species typically occupies oceanic waters of more than 160 feet (50 m) in depth. Therefore, it is the determination of the Project team that placement of fill on East Timbalier Island and West Belle Headland is expected to have no effect on Leatherback sea turtle populations.

4.4.5Loggerhead Sea Turtle

Nesting loggerhead sea turtles have historically used barrier islands; however, it is doubtful that loggerhead sea turtles nest anywhere on the Louisiana coast due to the nesting data that shows they do not. The restoration of East Timbalier Island and West Belle Headland may or may not provide suitable nesting habitat, but suitable nesting habitat is nearly nonexistent due to the current degraded state of the island. The Project could potentially provide some benefit to the species by restoring nesting habitat. Since the Project would comply with all USFWS and NMFS operations protocols, CPRA concludes that the Project is not likely to adversely affect this species.