NOTICE OF PROPOSED RE-ISSUANCE OF AN

ALASKA POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (APDES)

INDIVIDUAL PERMIT

TO DISCHARGE TO WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES

A Fact Sheet and associated documents are available for review. 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

Fax: 907-269-3487

E-mail: Anne.Weaver@alaska.gov

Draft Permit Public Notice Period:

Public Notice Start Date: May 30, 2024

Public Notice Expiration Date: June 28, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. AKDT

Permit No.: AK0028657

Permit Name: UniSea, Inc. – Dutch Harbor Facility

Proposed Permit Coverage:

Permit Coverage: DEC proposes to re-issue APDES individual permit (permit) AK0028657 to UniSea, Inc. – Dutch Harbor Facility to discharge process waste and wastewater to waters of the U.S.

Description of Discharges: UniSea, Inc. owns, operates, and maintains the facility, which conducts seafood processing and seafood meal reduction.

Wastewater passes through rotary screens with either 0.4 mm or 0.5 mm mesh and is then collected in the Main Screening Treatment Plant (MSTP) sump. Skimmers harvest solids, and the wastewater exits the MSTP sump through another 0.4-mm screen before mixing with meal plant stickwater and crab processing water (screened to 0.5 mm) and discharging through Outfall 001A-E to South Unalaska Bay. Residual tissue pieces are reduced to meal as a marketable secondary product. Storm water is also routed to the MSTP sump and Outfall 001A-E.

Storm water and non-contact cooling water from refrigeration condensers, boiler blowdown water, and powerhouse sump water is discharged from Outfall 002A to Iliuliuk Harbor.

Fish meal wastewater from evaporation machinery and dryer vapor scrubbing is discharged from Outfall 003A to Iliuliuk Harbor.

Zone of Deposit (ZOD): There is an authorized 1.0-acre zone of deposit for residues on the seafloor.

Mixing Zones: There is a mixing zone for color, turbidity, residues, non-petroleum oil and grease, dissolved oxygen, and sediment around Outfall 001A-E; a mixing zone for temperature around Outfall 002A; and a mixing zone for temperature around Outfall 003A.

Tentative Determination:

DEC has tentatively determined to reissue a discharge permit for the activity described above.

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.

Direct written comments and requests to the attention of the DEC contact/permit writer at the email address or postal address identified above.

All comments should include the name, address, telephone number, and email address 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, telephone number, and email address. 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’s final decision.

DEADLINE FOR WRITTEN COMMENTS OR REQUEST FOR PUBLIC HEARING    June 28, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. AKDT

Administrative Record:

The APDES draft 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.

555 Cordova Street                 610 University Avenue                       410 Willoughby Ave #303

Anchorage, AK 99501           Fairbanks, AK 99709                        Juneau, AK 99811

907-269-6285                         907-451-2100                                     907-465-5300

43335 Kalifornsky Beach Road                                                         1700 E Bogard Road #B

Soldotna, AK 99615                                                                          Suite #103

907-262-5210                                                                                     Wasilla, AK 99654

907-376-1850

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 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 Meg Kohler at (907) 269-4198 or TDD Relay Service 1-800-770-8973/TTY or dial 711 within 30 days of publication of this notice to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.