# Announcement of Public Hearing Date on a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIS/SEIR) for the Port of Los Angeles Main Channel Deepening Project, Los Angeles County, CA
**AGENCY:**
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
**ACTION:**
Notice.
**SUMMARY:**
The Draft SEIS/SEIR was released for public review on April 7, 2000. The Environmental Protection Agency has published a Notice of Availability of the Draft SEIS/SEIR in the *Federal Register* on April 7, 2000. The public review of the Draft SEIS/SEIR ends on May 22, 2000.
**ADDRESSES:**
Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, Ecosystem Planning Section, PO Box 532711, Los Angeles, CA 90053-2325.
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Mr. Larry Smith, Technical Manager, phone (213) 452-3846.
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
**1. Background**
The primary purpose of the proposed project is to deepen the inner harbor of the Port of Los Angeles to improve deep-draft navigation safety, to maximize the efficiency of the Port of Los Angeles by providing deep-draft commercials with reductions in tide delays and increasing economies if scale, and to maximize the beneficial use of dredged material.
**2. Proposed Action**
Deepening of the Inner Harbor channels at the Port of Los Angeles to a depth of −53 ft Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW).
**3. Alternatives**
The SEIS/SEIR evaluates the alternatives carried forward for detailed environmental analysis. In general, the major differences among alternatives are the project depth and selection of disposal sites.
**Dredge Alternatives**
Three dredge depth alternatives were assessed in the SEIS/SEIR. The dredge depths were −50 ft MLLW, −53 ft MLLW, and −55 ft MLLW. A dredge depth of −53 ft MLLW was determined to be the optimum depth.
**Disposal Alternatives**
Seven dredge disposal sites were assessed in the SEIS/SEIR. Various combinations of disposal sites were assembled as alternative project designs. A total of twenty-one alternatives was assembled; six for the −50 ft MLLW project depth, eight for the −53 ft MLLW project depth, and seven for the −55 ft MLLW project depth.
Alternative 7 for the −53 ft MLLW project depth was selected as the National Economic Development (NED) Plan. Alternative 2 for the −53 ft MLLW project depth was selected as the Locally Preferred Plan (LPP). The Corps has accepted the LPP as the modified NED Plan and it is the recommended plan.
**Authorize Plan**
• Deepening of the Inner Harbor channels at the Port of Los Angeles to a depth of −53 ft MLLW.
• Disposal of 1.5 million cubic yards of sediment to create the 40-acre Pier 300 Expansion Site.
• Disposal of 1.7 million cubic yards of sediment to create the 35-acre Southwest Slip Fill Site.
• Disposal of 1.0 million cubic yards to sediment to create the 54-acre Cabrillo Shallow Water Habitat Expansion Site.
• Disposal of 2.4 million cubic yards of sediment at the LA-2 and/or LA-3 Ocean Disposal Site.
**No Action**
No deepening of the channels and no construction of disposal sites.
4. The USACOE and the Los Angeles Harbor Department, the local sponsor, will consider public concerns on the Draft SEIS/SEIR. Summary of the Public Hearing and written comment letters and responses will be incorporated in the Final SEIS/SEIR as appropriate.
**5. Time and Location**
The Public Hearing is scheduled for May 11, 2000, at 6:30 pm, Los Angeles Harbor Department, Board Hearing Room, 425 South Palos Verdes Street, San Pedro, California.
Dated: April 18, 2000.
John P. Carroll,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer.