NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS AND HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT / FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT AND
NOTICE OF DECISION TO IMPLEMENT DEVELOPMENT IN A FLOODPLAIN
MOKAPU ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CAMPUS IMPROVEMENTS
MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII KANEOHE BAY, OAHU, HAWAII
Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and the State of Hawaii Department of Education (HIDOE) give notice that a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the proposed Mokapu Elementary School (ES) campus improvements at Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii. MCBH is the federal lead agency for the NEPA EA and HIDOE is the lead agency for the Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 343 EA.
MCBH has decided to proceed with implementing the Mokapu ES campus improvements project that is partially located within a floodplain because there is no practicable alternative to its preferred alternative. In the Draft EA for the proposed action, MCBH evaluated whether its preferred alternative would affect or be affected by the floodplain and if there were any practicable alternatives to locating it in the floodplain, and public notification was provided during the Draft EA review period. The evaluation identified alternative sites, alternative actions, and no action. However, all the alternatives outside the floodplain were eliminated from consideration because they were not practicable alternatives to locating in the floodplain. The project’s proposed detention swale would move the 100-year floodplain out of the proposed new facilities’ footprints and would allow runoff to infiltrate into the ground. New water quality units would allow potential pollutants to settle out of runoff. The EA found that the proposed action is unlikely to adversely impact floodplain hazards or significantly disrupt floodplain values.
The FONSI considers findings from consultations conducted pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act regarding potential impacts of the proposed project upon cultural resources, endangered species.
The Final EA and FONSI are available for viewing or download below and on the following website: https://planning.hawaii.gov/erp/. A printed copy is available at the Hawaii Documents Center.