A fact sheet and associated documents are available for review. For inquiries or to request copies of documents, contact:
DEC Contact:
Sally Wanstall
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
Wastewater Discharge Authorization Program
410 Willoughby Avenue, Suite 310
Juneau, AK 99811
(907) 465-5216
sally.wanstall@alaska.gov
Draft Permit Public Notice Period:
Public Notice Start Date: February 22, 2017
Public Notice Expiration Date: March 24, 2017
Permit Number: AK0021890
Applicant:
City of Seward
Lowell Point Wastewater Treatment Facility
13910 Lowell Point Road
P.O. Box 167
Seward, AK 99664
Proposed Project and Location:
The City of Seward owns, operates and maintains the Lowell Point Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) located in Seward, Alaska. The treated wastewater from the facility is proposed to be discharged to Resurrection Bay. Lowell Point WWTF has been permitted to discharge treated municipal wastewater into Resurrection Bay at latitude 60o 04’ 54” north and longitude 149o 26’ 34” west since 1974. Design flow for Lowell Point WWTF is 0.88 million gallons per day (mgd) and serves a resident population of approximately 2693, however, the population served during the summer months increases due to the influx of visitors.
The wastewater receives secondary treatment provided by a two-cell aerated lagoon system with forty Bio-Domes placed in the lagoon to provide supplemental treatment by fixed media. The total volume of the lagoon’s two cells is approximately 30 million gallons and provides 50-60 days detention time at typical flows.
DEC is proposing to authorize a mixing zone for fecal coliform bacteria and ammonia. The mixing zone size will continue to be the same as was authorized in the previous permit, defined as a rectangular area with a length of 800 meters and width of 100 meters. The long axis on the rectangle shape mixing zone runs parallel to the shoreline.
Tentative Determination:
DEC has tentatively determined to reissue a discharge permit to the above listed applicant.
Public Comments:
Written comments or requests for a public hearing on the APDES draft permit must be submitted within 30 days of the issuance of this public notice. Please direct written comments and requests to the attention of Sally Wanstall 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 that are directed at specific, cited permit requirements are appreciated. Mailed comments and requests 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 reasons 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’s final decision.
DEADLINE FOR WRITTEN COMMENTS OR REQUEST FOR PUBLIC HEARING: March 24, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. AKST
Administrative Record:
The APDES draft permit, fact sheet, permit application, and associated documents are available for public review at the DEC offices located in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Soldotna, and Wasilla. 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
43335 Kalifornsky Beach Road 1700 E Bogard Road #B
Soldotna, AK 99615 Suite #103 907-262-5210 Wasilla, AK 99654
907-376-1850
If you would like further information or to see any additional supporting technical documents, contact Sally Wanstall at sally.wantall@alaska.gov.
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.