Public Notice (PN) Date: October 3, 2023                      PN Reference Number: POA-2023-00225 v1.0
PN Expiration Date: October 23, 2023                           Waterway: Kobuk 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 https://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=UkESWeFYZ on or before the public notice expiration date listed above.

Applicant: City of Noorvik, Marissa Sun, PO Box 146 Noorvik, AK 99763; (907) 686-2100; cityofnoorvik@gmail.com.

Agent: Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, Karen Brown, 4500 Diplomacy Drive, Suite 454, Anchorage, AK 99508; (907) 350-0453; kmbrown@anthc.org.

Project Name: Noorvik Sewage Lagoon Relocation

Location: The proposed activity is located within Section 35, T. 17N, R. 11W; Kateel River Meridian; in Northwest Arctic Borough, Alaska. Project Site (Latitude, Longitude):  66.82680, -161.02650. With potential discharge location(s) as follows (Latitude, Longitude): Sewage Lagoon System -161.023558, 66.824451; Staging Area/Parking Pad -161.024820, 66.826403; SE Section of Road -161.026678, 66.826281; NW section of road -161.034094, 66.829069; Discharge Pipe -161.027840, 66.824487.

Purpose: The purpose of the project is to improve community wastewater treatment, and reduce the environmental degradation caused by the existing, failing sewage treatment tundra ponds with an engineered sewage lagoon system located farther from the school, existing homes and planned development. 

Project Description: The project will construct a new sewage lagoon system, road, parking pad, aboveground piping, and lift station.

This Project is proposing to construct a new two-cell sewage lagoon with a third sewage solids storage cell (for honey bucket and septic tank solids waste), four septic tanks and a discharge pipe; a staging area/parking pad; and an access road with a parallel aboveground sewer force main extension with a lift station. The sewer force main extension with lift station will be on piles with no fill required. There are two areas of temporary wetland disturbance. The discharge pipe will temporarily disturb wetlands during installation. A temporary excavated material holding site will also cause temporary wetland disturbance.

The proposed project is proposing to discharge 113,482 cy of gravel, 48 cy 3"-8" rock and 45,452 excavated sediment.  Total wetland impact from the proposed project is 26.7 acres.

Additional Information: Federal funding for the project will be provided by the Indian Health Service (IHS) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). IHS, in the role of lead federal agency, is anticipated to complete their Environmental Assessment (EA) in the near future.

Applicant Proposed Mitigation: The applicant provided the following mitigation statement regarding avoidance, minimization, and compensation for impacts to waters of the United States from activities involving discharges of dredged or fill material:

Avoidance: Wetlands cannot be avoided. The project area and land surrounding the community is comprised almost entirely of wetlands. The project was designed to avoid wetland impacts to the extent practicable by choosing the shortest distance and best terrain and still provide adequate separation distance from the community to the proposed sewage lagoon system.

Minimization: The project boundaries will be surveyed and flagged prior to construction to avoid inadvertent encroachment on wetlands. Natural drainage patterns will be maintained along the access road using 24-inch culverts. The sewage lagoon system size was minimized to the extent practicable to provide adequate sewage disposal for the population for the next 20+ years.

Existing roads will be used to access the project area. All vegetative debris and construction material will be removed from the construction site and disposed at the permitted Noorvik Landfill. All petroleum products will be managed with state and federal regulations. Spill control equipment will be available at the staging areas and stored in all construction vehicles in case of an accidental spill or leak.

Compensation: No compensatory mitigation is proposed. The project area and community are surrounded by numerous high-quality, well-preserved wetlands. The new sewage lagoon will be fenced and gated to prevent accidental access. Construction of the access road, staging pad/parking area, sewer main extension and sewage lagoon system is needed to reduce the environmental and health risks associated with the current, failing sewage lagoon.

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 Megan Kohler at 907-269-4198 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.