A Fact Sheet and associated documents are available for review. For inquiries or to request copies of documents, contact:
DEC Contact:
Will Collingwood
410 Willoughby Ave., Suite 303
Juneau, AK 99801
907-465-6855
will.collingwood@alaska.gov
Draft Permit Public Notice Period
Public Notice Start Date: March 7, 2017
Public Notice Expiration Date: April 6, 2017
Permit Number:
AK0053341
Applicant:
Sumitomo Metal Mining Pogo LLC.
Pogo Mine
38 miles northeast of Delta Junction, Alaska
PO Box 145, Delta Junction, AK 99737
Proposed Project and Location:
Facility Activity: The Pogo Mine is an underground gold mine that has been in production since 2006. The mine produces approximately 3,000 tons of ore per day (tpd) and is permitted to feed gold ore at a rate of up to 3,500 tpd. The mine produces between 280,000 to 350,000 ounces of gold annually. The facility consists of the underground mine, a surface gold mill, a drystack tailings facility, two man camps, road access and power distribution, and a water management system for water treatment and discharge.
Discharge Location and Description: The draft APDES permit allows for two outfalls that discharge to the Goodpaster River. Outfall 001 consists of treated contact water from the mine site and drainage from the underground mine. After treatment, this water is augmented with fresh water from the Goodpaster River and subsequently discharged. Outfall 002 consists of treated domestic wastewater (human body wastes from toilets and urinals, as well as wastewater from sinks, showers, laundries, safety showers, eyewash stations, and galleys.).
Mixing Zone: The permit proposes to authorize a mixing zone in the Goodpaster River at Outfall 002 for fecal coliform bacteria, nitrate/nitrite, pH, dissolved oxygen, arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, manganese, mercury, and zinc. The maximum size of the authorized mixing zone is 30 square feet.
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 Will Collingwood 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 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: April 6, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. Alaska Standard Time
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 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 99811907-269-6285 907-451-2100 907-465-5300
If you would like further information or to see any additional supporting technical documents, contact Will Collingwood.
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 Natalie Wolfe 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.