ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT

---

Silver Strand Training Complex

A training complex is a designated geographic area encompassing specific Navy ranges and water operating areas, and the airspace above them where Navy personnel train to accomplish their mission of national defense. The Navy maintains training complexes throughout the world, each serving unique individual purposes, and integrated to fulfill the Navy�s multifaceted training needs.

The primary mission of SSTC is to support U.S. Navy and Marine Corps amphibious, special warfare, and mine counter-measures training. It provides local land, sea, and air spaces; support services; materials, and training facilities. Navy and Marine Corps forces use these facilities and areas to achieve and maintain the highest level of readiness. Readiness training is necessary to provide highly trained, combat-ready Navy and Marine Corps personnel who are immediately available for global deployment or in support of national defense.

The Navy proposes to implement actions within the Silver Strand Training Complex (SSTC) to improve the quality of training to achieve the required level of operational readiness as mandated under federal law. Components of the Proposed Action include:

•  Continuing current training and test and evaluation (T&E) activities conducted within study area.

• Increasing training tempo from baseline conditions and additions to types of training.

• Conducting existing routine training at additional locations within SSTC established training areas.

• Introducing new platforms and equipment.

• Increasing access and availability to existing beach and inland training areas.

Through implementation of the components listed above, the Proposed Action would support mission-oriented requirements for SSTC through an increase in diverse and realistic training and improved accessibility to training areas.

SSTC is a unique Navy range that cannot be duplicated elsewhere. Its year-round temperate climate, access to both the rough waters of the Pacific Ocean and calm waters of the San Diego Bay, open beach areas, varied land terrain, and proximity to the homeport of southern California forces make it a critical asset for Navy and Marine Corps training. SSTC's location provides a local, geographically unique training area that is convenient to the users it serves, thereby reducing travel time spent and funding required to conduct training away from a unit's home base.

SSTC is divided into two non-contiguous training areas: SSTC-North (SSTC-N) and SSTC-South (SSTC-S). .

SSTC-N consists of oceanside and bayside training areas between the City of Coronado and Silver Strand State Beach. On the surfside, it includes ten 500-yard-wide training boat lanes that extend from 4,000 yards offshore to a contiguous beach area on the isthmus west of the Silver Strand Highway. It also includes anchorages located in Pacific Ocean within and north of the boat lanes. On the bayside of the isthmus, it includes open water and beach training areas and a helicopter drop zone.

SSTC-S consists of the land training areas and facilities of the former Fort Emory and Navy Radio Receiving Facility immediately north of Imperial Beach, and associated ocean, surf, and beach training areas. At SSTC-S, amphibious training is conducted within four surfside training lanes that include beach areas and extend to 4,000 yards offshore.

Southern training areas at the Naval Air Station North Island include beaches and nearshore waters from Zuniga Point south to Breakers Beach.

Proposed Action

The Proposed Action would  improve the quality and quantity of training and equipment so that military units can achieve and maintain the level of operational readiness necessary to provide operational commanders with trained, combat-ready personnel who are capable of global deployment and are available to immediately support a national contingency. The Proposed Action would integrate training and environmental management on SSTC to limit or avoid conflicts between training activities and sensitive environmental resources, while providing unique and essential "backyard" and local training opportunities to the highest concentration of Navy Fleet, Special Warfare, and Marine Corps expeditionary forces on the West Coast. For these local units, maintaining access to SSTC and its supporting infrastructure provides the means to minimize the amount of time our Nation�s men and women have to be away from home, economically train personnel, and leverage the tremendous local assets available to support a wide variety of training needs.

Evolving training requirements determine current, emerging, and future requirements for training access to SSTC. Recent world events have placed the U.S. military on heightened alert in defense of the United States and in defense of allied nations. At this time, the Navy is actively engaged in anti-terrorism efforts around the globe. Title 10 U.S. Code, Section 5062 directs the Chief of Naval Operations to maintain, train, and equip all naval forces for combat so that they are capable of winning wars, deterring aggression, and maintaining freedom of the seas. To achieve this level of readiness, naval forces must have access to ranges, operating areas, and airspace where they can develop and maintain skills for wartime missions. Navy ranges, operating areas, and airspace must be maintained or enhanced to accommodate necessary training and testing activities in support of national security objectives.

The Navy proposes to implement actions with SSTC to improve the quality of training, and thus achieve its required level of operational readiness, as mandated by federal law. Components of the Proposed Action include: Continuing current training and test and evaluation (T&E) activities conducted within study area. Increasing training tempo from baseline conditions and additions to types of training. Conducting existing routine training at additional locations within SSTC established training areas  Introducing new platforms and equipment. Increasing access and availability to existing beach and inland training areas. By implementing the components listed above, the Propose Action would support mission-oriented requirements for SSTC through an increase in diverse and realistic training, improved access to training areas, and reduced constraints of encroachment. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Proposed Action (see below) addresses the potentially significant direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of these alternatives on the existing environment.

Environmental Impact Statement

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 requires federal agencies to examine the individual and cumulative environmental effects of their activities. In line with its general management practices, the Navy has completed an EIS on its Proposed Action on SSTC which comprehensively evaluates the effects of current and future Navy activities on the local environment. An EIS is a detailed public document that assesses the potential effects of a federal action on the human, natural, or cultural environment.

In preparing the EIS, the Navy carefully evaluated the potential effects of its current and proposed activities on:

By preparing an EIS, a process which includes extensive public participation (see Get Involved), the Navy is planning for the future of SSTC in the comprehensive, deliberate, and inclusive manner envisioned by NEPA and other federal environmental laws.