DEC has prepared an APDES preliminary draft of the Aquaculture Facilities in Alaska General Permit. Prior to the formal public notice period, DEC invites you to review the preliminary draft general permit, fact sheet, and associated documents. You can access the documents from DEC’s Wastewater Discharge Authorization Program web page at: http://dec.alaska.gov/water/wastewater/.

Preliminary Draft General Permit Review:

Start Date:  September 30, 2022
End Date:    October 13, 2022

Permit No.:
AKG130000

Proposed Permit Coverage:

 Permit Coverage: DEC proposes to re-issue APDES general permit (permit) AKG130000 to aquaculture facilities in Alaska that discharge process waste and wastewater to waters of the U.S.

Description of Discharges: Aquaculture facilities may discharge a variety of pollutants generated from uneaten feed, fish feces, fish carcasses, cleaning chemicals, and medications. The main pollutants of concern include total suspended solids (TSS), settleable solids (SS), pH, ammonia, dissolved oxygen (DO), and total residual chlorine (TRC). These pollutants have the potential to contribute to a number of adverse water quality impacts, including increased levels of turbidity and residues and low dissolved oxygen.

Zone of Deposit (ZOD): DEC is proposing location-specific ZODs to allow deposits of residues from ground fish carcasses or net pens. Each ZOD will encompass a maximum total area of deposition authorized per discharge location. ZODs will be authorized in marine and estuarine waters per 18 AAC 70.210 (2003). After the submittal of a complete Notice of Intent and a public notice period, ZODs will be issued to permittees meeting the conditions of the permit.

For inquiries or to request copies of documents, contact:

DEC Contact:           
Anne Weaver
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
Division of Water
Wastewater Discharge Authorization Program
555 Cordova Street
Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone: (907) 269-7483
Anne.Weaver@alaska.gov

Administrative Record:
The APDES preliminary draft general permit, fact sheet, 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 to see any additional supporting technical documents, contact Anne Weaver.
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://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 American 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 review, please contact Jason Burnett at (907) 269-3056 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.