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

DEC Contact:

Angela Hunt
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
Division of Water, Wastewater Discharge Authorization Program
555 Cordova Street
Anchorage, AK 99501
907-269-7599, Fax 907-269-3487
Angela.Hunt@alaska.gov

Draft Permit Public Notice Period

Public Notice Start Date: April 4, 2018
Public Notice Expiration Date: May 4, 2018

Permit Number:

AKS053406 and AKS053414

Applicant:

Proposed Project and Location: The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation proposes to reissue two municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permits for discharges from a small MS4 in Fairbanks, Alaska. The permits authorize and set conditions on the discharge of pollutants from municipal activities to waters of the United States. In order to ensure protection of water quality and human health, the permits establish conditions, prohibitions, and management practices for discharges of storm water from the MS4 owned or operated by the permittees.

Discharge Location: Discharge from all municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) outfalls existing as of the effective date of this permit to receiving waters, which include Beaver Springs, Chena River, Chena Slough, Noyes Slough, and other associated waters of the United States within the Fairbanks Urbanized Area.

Surface runoff is directed to a system of mostly interconnected conveyances, which consist of subsurface storm sewers, roadside ditches, and surface streets. These systems provide drainage for an area of approximately 14.4 square miles, encompassing the City of Fairbanks, City of North Pole, and the University of Alaska – Fairbanks. The MS4 operated by the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities provides drainage for approximately 610 miles of roads and highways within the Fairbanks area. The Fairbanks North Star Borough coverage area includes the storm sewer systems located within approximately 17 square miles of land inside the boundaries of the Fairbanks Urbanized Area owned and operated by the Borough.

Description of Discharge: Storm water runoff is generated from rain and snowmelt events that flow over land or impervious surfaced, such as paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops, and does not soak into the ground. The runoff picks up pollutants like trash, chemicals, oils, and dirt/sediment that can harm water resources and cause changes in water quality, habitats, aquatic biological diversity, hydrology, and increased sedimentation and erosion. To minimize the potential effects to water resources, the permittees uses a variety of storm water controls, known as best management practices, to filter out pollutants and/or prevent pollution by controlling it at its source.

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 Angela Hunt 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:
May 4, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. ADT

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.

If you would like further information or to see any additional supporting technical documents, contact Angela Hunt.

The documents are also accessible from the DEC website at:

http://dec.alaska.gov/water/wastewater.aspx

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.