Notice of Application for State Water Quality Certification

Public Notice (PN) Date: April 8, 2024   PN Reference Number: POA-1993-00087-M11 v1.0
PN Expiration Date: May 8, 2024                                                      Waterway: Aloha Creek

Any applicant for a federal license or permit to conduct an activity that might result in a discharge into waters of the United States, in accordance with Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), must also apply for and obtain certification from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation that the discharge will comply with the CWA and the Alaska Water Quality Standards (18 AAC 70). The scope of certification is limited to the water quality-related impacts from the activity subject to the Federal license or permit (40 CFR 121.3, 18 AAC 15.180).

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 received0F0F0F[1] for the discharge of dredged and/or fill materials into waters of the United States (WOTUS), 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=BfhbDAPKm on or before the public notice expiration date listed above.

Applicant: Taiga Mining Company, Inc., Drew Miller, PO BOX 113108, Anchorage, AK 99511, (907) 349-4644; dmiller@taigamining.com

Project Name: Taiga Mining Aloha Creek Mine Site

Dates of the proposed activity is planned to begin and end: 06/15/2024 to 10/31/2026. 

Location: The proposed activity is located within Section 28, T. 10N, R. 15E, Kateel River Meridian, in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska. MS2106. Project Site (Latitude, Longitude): 66.245300, -155.69780.

Purpose: The applicant’s stated purpose is the economic recovery of placer gold resources within the Aloha Creek Drainage.

Description of Proposed Work: The applicant is proposing to discharge 50,000 cubic yards of fill into a total of 11.4 acres of waters of the U.S.(WOTUS), including wetlands to conduct placer mining activities at two locations in the Aloha Creek drainage. 

Product recovery will occur on the transitional zone between the valley bottom and adjacent benches.  Removal and stockpiling of organic materials and overburden and extraction and processing of gold bearing gravels, by water/gravity separation will occur with a 100% recycle system.

The first location (Right Limit Below 15) would have 3.9 acres of wetland impacts and the second location (Right Limit: Little S-Curves) would have 7.5 acres of WOTUS impacts. Specifically, the discharges in WOTUS would include mechanized land clearing, temporary relocation of the access road, stockpiling of materials, construction of settling ponds, and reclamation activities.

Applicant Proposed Mitigation: The applicant proposes the following mitigation measures to avoid, minimize, and compensate for impacts to waters of the United States from activities involving discharges of dredged or fill material.

1. Avoidance: The applicant states that through mineral exploration areas of interest have been identified that are economically viable, allowing for marginal on non-economical portions of the deposit to be avoided entirely.
2. Minimization: Where possible, stockpiling and disturbance is focused in areas up uplands, minimizing the required distrubance to aquatic resources.
3. Mitigation: Upon completion of the mining operations, reclamation operations will reclaim the materials stored within the aquatic resource boundaires and construct additional water features (ponds & connections) to acheive a restoration ration of 1:1 or greater.

After reviewing the application, the Department will evaluate whether the activity will comply with applicable water quality requirements (any limitation, standard, or other requirement under sections 301, 302, 306, and 307 of the CWA, any Federal and state laws or regulations implementing those sections, and any other water quality-related requirement of state law). The Department may certify (or certify with conditions) with reasonable assurance the activity and any discharge that might result will comply with water quality requirements. 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.