A Fact Sheet and associated documents are available for review. For inquiries or to request copies of documents, contact:

DEC Contact:

Nick Dallman

610 University Avenue

Fairbanks, AK 99709

907-451-2142

nicholas.dallman@alaska.gov

Draft Permit Public Notice Period:

Public Notice Start Date: April 25, 2013

Public Notice Expiration Date: May 28, 2013

Permit:

Norton Sound Large Dredge Placer Miners General Permit, AKG374000

Proposed Permit Coverage:

Facilities: Suction dredges with intake diameters greater than 10 inches; suction dredge operations with a combination of intake hoses that have a combined intake area greater than 78 square inches; and mechanical dredges.

Coverage Area: Marine waters of Norton Sound up to three nautical miles offshore between Cape Rodney at 166^°24’09” west longitude and Cape Darby at 162^°46’54” west longitude with certain restrictions in the permit.

Tentative Determination:

DEC has tentatively determined to issue a discharge permit for the activity described above.

Public Comments:

Written comments or requests for a public hearing on the APDES draft general permit must be submitted prior to the expiration of this public notice. Please direct written comments to the attention of Nick Dallman at the address or email identified above. All comments should include the name, address, and telephone number of the commenter and a concise statement of comment on the permit condition(s) and the relevant facts upon which the comment is based. Comments of either support or concern which are directed at specific, cited permit requirements are appreciated. Mailed comments must be postmarked on or before the expiration date of the public notice.

DEC will consider all comments when making the final decision, and will respond to received comments in a Response to Comments document issued when DEC issues a final permit. The Response to Comments will be made available to the public.

Any interested person may submit a written request for a public hearing if no hearing has already been scheduled. A request for a public hearing shall state the nature of the issues to be raised, as well as the requester's name, address and telephone number. DEC will hold a public hearing whenever DEC finds, on the basis of requests, a significant degree of public interest in a draft permit. DEC may also hold a public hearing if a hearing might clarify one or more issues involved in a permit decision or for other good reason in DEC’s discretion.

DEC will transmit the final permit, fact sheet (amended as appropriate), and Response to Comments to anyone who provided comments during the public review period or requested to be notified of DEC final decision.

DEADLINE FOR WRITTEN COMMENTS OR REQUEST FOR PUBLIC HEARING    May 28, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. AKDT

Administrative Record:

The APDES draft permit, fact sheet, and associated documents are available for public review at the ADEC offices located in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau. Please contact the office of your choice to arrange for hard copies of the documents to be available for your review.

555 Cordova Street                 610 University Avenue                       410 Willoughby Ave #303

Anchorage, AK 99501          Fairbanks, AK 99709                        Juneau, AK 99811

907-269-6285                          907-451-2100                                      907-465-5300

The documents are also accessible from the DEC website at:

http://www.dec.state.ak.us/water/wwdp/index.htm

To receive email notifications about the APDES Program, including when permits are available to review, follow the link below to join the APDES email list.

http://dec.alaska.gov/water/npdes/npdes_email_list.htm

Disability Reasonable Accommodation Notice

The State of Alaska, Department of Environmental Conservation complies with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If you are a person with a disability who may need a special accommodation in order to participate in this public process, please contact Deborah Pock at (907) 269-0291 or TDD Relay Service 1-800-770-8973/TTY or dial 711 within 30 days of publication of this notice to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.