Alternative Energy Draft EA - NASA Visitor Center at Wallops Flight ...

Environmental Consequences
2) Placing sand dredged from a shoal located offshore in Federal waters on the Wallops
Island shoreline; and
3) Renourishing the Wallops Island’s beach with sediment taken from one of three sources:
the beach on the north end of Wallops Island, or from one of two sand shoals located
offshore in Federal waters. The renourishment cycle is anticipated to occur every 5 years,
with a total of 9 renourishment cycles over the 50-year life of the SRIPP.
Implementation of this program is planned for 2011. A Programmatic EIS is currently being
prepared for the SRIPP. Additionally, there have been other beach restoration projects along the
Maryland and Virginia coastline due to beach and shoreline erosion.
4.5.4 Expansion of the Wallops Flight Facility Launch Range
NASA and MARS facilities will be upgraded to support up to and including medium large class
suborbital and orbital expendable launch vehicle (ELV) launch activities from WFF.
Components of the project include site improvements required to support launch operations
(such as facility construction and infrastructure improvements); testing, fueling, and processing
operations; up to two static fire tests per year; and launching of up to six ELVs and associated
spacecraft per year from Pad 0-A. Implementation of the project would result in a maximum of
18 orbital-class launches from MARS Launch Complex 0 per year (12 existing launches from
Pad 0-B, and 6 additional launches from Pad 0-A). The first orbital launch from Pad 0-A is
currently planned for 2011.
4.5.5 WFF Launch Range Activities
NASA can currently launch up to approximately 102 rockets a year from the launch areas on
Wallops Island. These include a maximum of 60 from the Sounding Rocket Program, 12 from
orbital rocket missions at Pad 0-B, and 30 from Navy missiles and drones (NASA, 2005). Debris
from various WFF launch operations (i.e., spent rockets, payloads, drones, and rocket-boosted
projectiles) lands in the Atlantic Ocean. This debris may consist of a variety of components
including metals, batteries, electrical components, and propellants.
4.5.6 Potential Cumulative Effects by Resource
Resources that may experience cumulative impacts are discussed below.
4.5.6.1 Surface Waters
The Proposed Action would have a minor and temporary impact on the water resources of the
affected region; the incremental contribution to cumulative water resource impacts from the
Proposed Action would not be significant.
4.5.6.2 Wetlands
The Proposed Action would have a minor and temporary as well as permanent impact on
wetlands of the affected region. Table 27 shows the area of wetland impacts for recent projects at
WFF. The type of impact for all current projects would be permanent fill.
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