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

DEC Contact: 
Jeanne Swartz
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
Division of Water
Wastewater Discharge Authorization Program
555 Cordova Street
Anchorage, AK 99501
(907) 269-8198
Jeanne.Swartz@alaska.gov

Draft Permit Public Notice Period:
Start Date:     March 4, 2021
End Date:       April 5, 2021, 11:59 pm Alaska Daylight Savings Time

Permit No.:    AK0021377

Applicant: City of Kenai
                  Kenai Wastewater Treatment Facility
                  800 South Spruce Street
                  Kenai, AK 99611

Proposed Project and Location:
The City of Kenai (City) operates the Kenai Wastewater Treatment Facility (Kenai WWTF) in the community of Kenai, Alaska, in the Kenai Peninsula Borough. The Kenai WWTF is a Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW). Wastewater treatment at the Kenai WWTF includes secondary treatment provided by preliminary treatment to remove solids followed by aeration in an aeration basin. Following aeration, the flow receives treatment in a secondary clarifier. The treated effluent is disinfected with chlorine before it is discharged through an outfall pipe.

The Kenai WWTF effluent is discharged to Cook Inlet at 60.5522° North latitude and 151.2777° West longitude.

The Kenai WWTF discharges secondary treated domestic wastewater at a design rate of 1.3 million gallons per day. Pollutants of concern known to be present in domestic wastewater are conventional pollutants including biological oxygen demand (BOD₅), total suspended solids (TSS), temperature, and pH.

 Mixing Zone:  A chronic mixing zone will be authorized and is defined as the area within a circle of 371-foot radius, centered on the end of the outfall pipe and extending from the marine bottom to the surface. An acute mixing zone will also be authorized. The acute mixing zone is contained within the chronic mixing zone and is is defined as the area within a circle of a 118-foot radius, centered on the end of the outfall pipe and extending from the marine bottom to the surface. Pollutants in the chronic mixing zone are ammonia, total recoverable copper, total recoverable zinc, temperature, and chronic Whole Effluent Toxicity.

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. Any person desiring to comment on the permit may submit comments electronically via the DEC public notice site (preferred) at http://water.alaskadec.commentinput.com/?id=KUiaF.

Alternatively, you may direct written comments and requests to the attention of the permit writer at the email address or postal address 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 5, 2021 at 11:59 p.m.
 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 Jeanne Swartz. 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 listserve. http://list.state.ak.us/mailman/listinfo/DEC-APDES/.

 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 Brian Blessington at 907-269-6272 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.