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

DEC Contact:

James Rypkema
555 Cordova Street
Anchorage, AK 99501
907-334-2288
James.Rypkema@alaska.gov

Draft Permit Public Notice Period:

Public Notice Start Date: 6/25/2019
Public Notice Expiration Date: 7/26/2019

Permit No.: AKG003000

Permit Name: Hydrostatic and Aquifer Pump Test General Permit

Proposed Permit Coverage:
Hydrostatic discharges eligible for coverage under this statewide General Permit including flushing will consist of either potable or non-potable water discharges used to pressurize a tank or vessel to conduct leak detection tests. The discharged water will be free of any additives and primary contaminants that would consist of suspended solids, residual chlorine, and petroleum hydrocarbon residue present in used hydrocarbon transport pipes and storage tanks. This permit also authorizes hydrostatic testing where water is placed within a tank or vessel under atmospheric pressure to detect leaks and the flushing of public water supply lines and storage tanks. The flushing of water lines or tanks often occurs following a new installation where the line or tank may be super chlorinated to disinfect prior to use.

Aquifer pump testing discharges covered under this statewide General Permit are for mineral mining and exploration activities only and would consist of groundwater pump tests conducted to determine well yields, recharge rates, and hydrogeological conditions. Aquifer pump testing discharges would contain pumped groundwater from a water well discharged to either the surface or to a water body. The primary pollutants would be suspended solids, dissolved solids, and potentially naturally occurring trace metals.

 Mixing Zone: None proposed.

 Tentative Determination:
DEC has tentatively determined to reissue 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 within 30 days of the issuance of this public notice. Please direct written comments to the attention of James Rypkema 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
7/26/2019 at 5:00 p.m. ADT

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.

If you would like to see any additional supporting technical documents, contact James Rypkema.

The documents are also accessible from the DEC website at: http://dec.alaska.gov/water/wastewater/.

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
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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 Theresa Zimmerman at (907) 465-6171 or TDD Relay Service 1-800-770-8973/TTY or dial 711 within 10 days of publication of this notice to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.