Public Notice (PN) Date: February 1, 2023 PN Reference Number: POA-2015-00025-M7 v1.0
PN Expiration Date: February 21, 2023 Waterway: Ugnuravik River
Any applicant for a federal license or permit to conduct an activity that might result in a discharge into navigable waters, in accordance with Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) of 1977 (PL95-217), also must apply for and obtain certification from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation that the discharge will comply with the CWA, the Alaska Water Quality Standards, and other applicable State laws.
Notice is hereby given that a request for a CWA §401 Water Quality Certification of a Department of the Army Permit application, Corps of Engineers’ PN Reference Number indicated above has been received for the discharge of dredged and/or fill materials into waters of the United States (WOUS), including wetlands, as described below, and shown on the project figures/drawings. The public notice and related project figures/drawings are accessible from the DEC website at http://dec.alaska.gov/water/wastewater/.
To comment on the project or request for a public hearing with respect to water quality, submit comments electronically via the DEC public notice site at https://water.alaskadec.commentinput.com/?id=cSAsY on or before the public notice expiration date listed above.
Applicant: Oil Search (Alaska), LLC, Patrick Conway, PO Box 240927 Anchorage, AK 99524-0927; (907) 903-1762; Patrick.Conway@santos.com.
Project Name: Armstrong Energy Nanushuk Ugnuravik River
Location: The proposed activity is located within Section 12, T. 11 N, R. 9 E; Umiat Meridian; in North Slope Borough, Alaska. Project Site: Latitude: 70.33623 Longitude: -149.73317.
Purpose: The applicant’s stated purpose is to provide a long-term supply of fuel gas and sea water that is reliable and in sufficient quantity to allow Oil Search (Alaska) to optimize production efficiency from the Pikka Development project. The Project will produce commercial quantities of liquid hydrocarbons, in Oil Searches State of Alaska and ASRC oil and gas leasehold, by operating from a site east of the Colville River Delta; to process hydrocarbons on or near the drill sites; and to transport sales-quality oil through a new export pipeline to the Kuparuk sales oil pipeline, and then to TAPS.
Project Description: Oil Search (Alaska), LLC (OSA), a subsidiary of Santos Limited, will request a permit modification to the Department of the Army permit authorized under POA-2015-00025 for the revised project components listed below. The Pikka Development Project components are the result of incremental advancements in project design, construction methods, and operational requirements.
Spine Road Parking Pad & Platform: OSA proposes to add a parking pad and platform near the OSA Pikka Sales Oil Pipeline where the pipeline ties into the existing Kuparuk Sales Oil Pipeline. The parking pad will be located on the south side of the Spine Road and allow vehicle and equipment parking that will not obstruct normal two-way traffic. The parking pad is designed to have approximately 2,000 square-feet of usable parking and workspace. The parking pad will provide access and egress to the platform for construction and maintenance of the Pikka Sales Oil Pipeline. The pad and platform will require approximately 1,980 cubic yards of gravel and fill approximately 0.2 acre of wetland.
Gas Spur Pipeline (GSP): OSA is proposing to construct an approximately half-mile above-ground natural gas pipeline to deliver fuel gas to the Project. The pipeline will require a parking pad and platform east of the ConocoPhillips Central Processing Facility 1 (CPF-1), five road crossings, two gravel pipeline crossings, VSMs, and a pigging pad and platform at the connection to the OSA seawater treatment plant (STP) pipeline rack.
The GSP requires two gravel pipeline crossings (also called equipment crossings or tundra pads) along the pipeline route. These crossings allow vehicle and maintenance equipment to cross over the pipelines. The gravel pads will be placed at strategic locations to allow access to pipelines and powerlines for other area operators for maintenance or emergency response. The crossings will also allow access to waterbodies for ice road and pad construction. Total impacts for the GSP component will require approximately 10,500 cubic yards of gravel and fill approximately 1.3 acres of wetland.
STP Pipeline Modification: OSA proposes to make a minor revision to the STP Pipeline alignment to avoid potential congestion with the Kuparuk River Unit operator and adjacent pipelines located along the Oliktok Road. This revision will move the proposed pipeline from the west side of Oilktok Road to the east, spanning approximately one mile. OSA will also add seven gravel pipeline crossings that are approximately 0.2 acres each. The existing road crossings and the gravel pipeline crossings will be constructed using structural steel casings bedded in the gravel. The pipelines will then be placed inside the steel casings when constructed. The existing road crossings will require widening the road to achieve road thickness and depth of cover requirements above the steel casing. In all, the STP Pipeline modifications will require approximately 14,300 cubic yards of gravel and fill approximately 1.7 acres of wetland.
Ground Conductor Cables: The Pikka Development Pipelines will cross under approximately 14 existing overhead powerlines. To prevent accidental electrification of the pipeline in the unlikely event a power line contacts the pipeline, ground conductor cables will be installed at each intersection. Each ground conductor cable will be buried to a depth of at least 24 inches below the tundra surface for a length of approximately 275 feet between the two existing power poles. A connection will then be made from the existing overhead powerline ground cable to the pipeline and terminate at the adjacent overhead powerline ground cable on the far side.
A chain trencher or similar type equipment will be used to make an approximately 12-inch-wide by two-foot-deep slice in the tundra. Locally sourced, native material will be used for bedding and backfilling the trench. The bare copper neutral bonding cable does not normally carry electrical current and will assume ambient soil temperatures once in place. Total project trenching activities will require approximately 120 cubic yards of gravel and fill approximately 0.1-acre wetland.
Discharge Summary: Discharge 7,900 cubic yards of fill into 1.2 acres of wetlands for Sea Water Treatment Plant (STP) equipment crossings. Discharge 8,800 cubic yards of fill into 0.4-acre of wetlands for STP road pipeline crossings. Discharge 1,600 cubic yards of fill into 0.2-acre of wetlands for STP Pigging Platform at Spine Road Y. Discharge 3,000 cubic yards of fill into 0.5-acre of wetlands for Gas Spur Pipeline (GSP) equipment crossings. Discharge 4,400 cubic yards of fill into 0.4-acre of wetlands for GSP parking Pad/Platforms at DS-1C Road. Discharge 1,500 cubic yards of fill into 0.2-acre of wetlands for 30 STP Vertical Support Members (VSM). Discharge 1,840 cubic yards of fill into 0.1-acre of wetlands for 460 GSP VSMs. Discharge 170 cubic yards of fill into 0.1-acre of wetlands for bonding cable trenching. For a total discharge of 29,210 cubic yards into 3.1 acres of wetlands.
Applicant Proposed Mitigation: The applicant proposes the following mitigation measures to avoid, minimize, and compensate for impacts to waters of the United States (WOTUS) from activities involving discharges of dredged or fill material.
- Avoidance: The following measures will be taken to avoid impacts to the greatest extent practicable: The proposed project modifications have been sited adjacent to existing infrastructure on the North Slope, where feasible. Gravel will either be stockpiled on uplands or be transported directly from the material site and placed within the project footprint. Single-season ice roads will be used to support winter construction, avoiding the need for additional fill to support construction. Drilling for vertical support members (VSM) will occur from an ice road, and drill cuttings will be sidecast onto the ice around each VSM, avoiding a discharge of fill material into WOTUS. The sidecasting will not change the bottom elevation of WOTUS or replace any portion of WOTUS with dry ground. The drill cuttings will be removed once VSM installation is complete.
- Minimization: All fill material acquired for the project will be clean fill material and sourced from one of the local mine sites. The pipeline will be elevated above grade on VSMs to reduce impacts to permafrost and flow patterns of surface waters. The pipeline and horizontal support members will be a minimum of seven (7) feet above tundra surface, except where pipelines intersect a road, pad, or other pipeline, to minimize impacts to caribou and other terrestrial wildlife. Pipelines will have a non-reflective finish to reduce reflectivity and potential impacts to wildlife from visual disturbances. Water withdrawal for ice pad and ice road construction will be conducted in compliance with water withdrawal authorizations and fish habitat permit stipulations to maintain adequate lake volumes in fish-bearing lakes.
- Compensatory Mitigation: A compensatory mitigation plan was approved for the Nanushuk project under file number POA-2015-00025. Oil Search (Alaska) does not propose additional compensatory mitigation beyond what is being implemented under the approved plan.
Additional Information: The Nanushuk project Environmental Impact Statement was completed and permit POA-2015-00025 was issued. The proposed project would be a modification (M7) to the original permit.
After reviewing the application, the Department may certify there is reasonable assurance the activity, and any discharge that might result, will comply with the CWA, the Alaska Water Quality Standards, and other applicable State laws. The Department also may deny or waive certification.
The permit application and associated documents are available for review. For inquires or to request copies of the documents, contact dec-401cert@alaska.gov, or call 907-269-6285.
Disability Reasonable Accommodation Notice
The State of Alaska, Department of Environmental Conservation complies with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. If you are a person with a disability who may need special accommodation in order to participate in this public process, please contact ADA Coordinator Claire Fishwick at 907-465-5871 or TDD Relay Service 1-800-770-8973/TTY or dial 711 prior to the expiration date of this public notice to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.