PUBLIC NOTICE
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
Wastewater Discharge Authorization Program/§401 Certification
555 Cordova Street, Anchorage AK 99501-2617
Phone: 907-269-6285 | Email: DEC-401Cert@alaska.gov

Notice of Application for State Water Quality Certification

Public Notice (PN) Date: August 6, 2024                                     PN Reference Number: POA-2003-00502 M24 v1.0
PN Expiration Date: September 8, 2024                                                                                      Waterway: Knik Arm

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 received0F[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 via email to the DEC email address: DEC-401Cert@alaska.gov with the subject line referencing Public Notice Reference Number: POA-2003-00502 M24 v1.0 on or before the public notice expiration date listed above.

Applicant: Port of Alaska, MOA, Steve Ribuffo, 2000 Anchorage Port RD, Anchorage, AK 99501, (907) 343-6201; steve.ribuffo@anchorageak.gov

Agent: HDR Inc., Mike Holley, 582 E 36th Ave, Suite 500 Anchorage, AK 99503; (907) 885-5798; michiel.holley@hdrinc.com.

Project Name: Supplemental PAMP Dredging at the Port

Location: The proposed activity is located within Section 7, T. 13N, R. 3W, Seward Meridian, in Anchorage, Alaska.  Project Site (Latitude, Longitude): 61.239374, -149.88897.

Purpose: The Port of Alaska’s Modernization Program (PAMP) is a suite of construction projects intended to address the deteriorating conditions of the Port of Alaska’s (Port’s) marine facilities to enable safe, reliable, and cost-effective cargo-handling operations. The improvements included in the PAMP would:

• Improve operational safety and efficiency
• Accommodate modern shipping operations
• Improve resiliency – to survive extreme seismic events and sustain ongoing cargo operations.

PAMP phases currently being designed and permitted include the North Extension Stabilization (NES) and replacement of the existing cargo terminals. A large part of the North Extension area is unstable and presents safety hazards and logistical impediments to ongoing port operations. The NES project is scheduled to begin in 2023. The replacement effort for the Cargo Terminals is urgently needed due to severe corrosion of the foundation piles and deteriorating structural conditions at the Port’s Terminals 1, 2, and 3, which serve the containerized cargo trade, heavy-sealift, cruise ship, and military sealift activities. The Cargo Terminals will remain open during construction, with the new terminals being constructed in phases.

The geographical isolation of Alaska and the Port’s role as the containerized logistic hub and distribution center for much of the state make the Port a critical lifeline for the southcentral region and Alaska. There are no other ports with the cargo capacity, proximity to Alaska’s population centers, and intermodal transportation capabilities that can support the logistic missions sustained by the Port, including commerce, National defense, and earthquake resiliency/disaster response and recovery.

The Port is requesting a 10-year permit to conduct maintenance dredging and disposal during PAMP project construction. The USACE Anchorage Harbor Maintenance Dredging dredge will not be able to access the dock face during construction to perform maintenance dredging, necessitating a second maintenance dredging contractor with smaller equipment to perform the dredging in the construction area. Maintenance dredging will be required to maintain construction vessel access and ensure vessels associated with cargo, cruise ships, heavy-sealift, and military sealift activities are able to access the cargo terminals, South Floating Dock, and the Petroleum Cement Terminal during facility construction.

Description of Proposed Work: Dredging would be conducted based on bathymetric surveys to determine the location of sediment accumulation. Sediment accumulation that would hinder construction barge access or commerce would be dredged using a clam-shell excavator, dragline excavator, Sauerman excavator, and/or suction dredge, depending upon the contractor’s work plan. The dredged material would be loaded into a scow or barge and disposed of in the USACE Anchorage Harbor open water disposal area.

In order to accommodate construction of the PAMP projects and until the USACE Maintenance Dredging Project incorporates the Project area into the annual dredge prism at the conclusion of construction, the Port is requesting a 10-year permit to allow maintenance dredging of up to 125,000 cubic yards of material per year. Figure 3 shows the area to be included for maintenance dredging. Dredging would occur on an as-needed basis to maintain access for construction and commerce vessels.

The proposed project would help to address areas of sediment accretion at all locations where the USACE dredge program cannot access (due to the type of dredge being used) and to allow vessels to access and dock at the existing Cargo Terminals, achieve seismic requirements, and provide construction access during the 10-year period of 2025-2034. The cumulative total over the ten-year period could be as much as 1.25 million CY.

The areas to be dredged include:

• Locations within the boundaries of the Anchorage Harbor Dredging Project where contractor floating gear and related barge anchorages/wires/lines occupy harbor space prohibiting daily access by the USACE contracted dredge,
• Portions of the existing Terminal 2 berth where the discontinuous berthline geometry prevents access by the USACE contracted dredge (USACE contracted dredge is constrained from dredging operations withing the area described as greater than the 150-degree supplementary angle formed from the Terminal 2 berthline and the position describing the northwest corner of replacement Terminal 1 and or the northwestern extent of the contractor floating gear),
• The harbor area north of POL 2 Terminal and immediately south of the position describing the southwest corner of replacement Terminal 1 and or the southwestern extent of the contractor floating gear,
• The area around the South Floating Dock, and
• Any localized areas of sediment accumulation along the navigable shoreline of the Port’s property.

The dredge depth at the platform face would be to -37 feet mean lower low water (MLLW) during the summer (with a maximum depth of -40 feet MLLW to account for over dredging with a clam shell dredge, if used).

Dredged materials shall be transported to and deposited in the open water shared use Anchorage Harbor disposal site identified by Alaska State Plane Zone 4 coordinates in the matrix below requiring Contractor coordination with all other marine traffic:

Supplemental maintenance dredging associated with Terminal 2 and POL 2 access shall be maintained throughout the construction maintenance dredging season, generally defined as the period of March 15 through November 10 or when harbor and sea conditions dictate based upon safe transit of the dredge.

All dredging would be conducted so as to minimize the amount of dredge material and suspended sediments that enter Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. Appropriate Best Management Practices (BMPs) will be employed to minimize sediment loss and turbidity generation during dredging. BMPs may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Eliminating multiple bites while the bucket is on the seafloor.
• No stockpiling of dredged material on the seafloor.
• No seafloor leveling.
• Slowing the velocity (i.e., increasing the cycle time) of the ascending loaded clamshell bucket through the water column.
• Pausing the dredge bucket near the bottom while descending and near the water line while ascending.
• Placing filter material over the barge scuppers to clear return water.
• If dewatering runoff is discharged from the barge, silts must be removed prior to direct or indirect discharge to Knik Arm of Cook Inlet.

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: “Avoidance of impacts to waters of the United States (U.S.) is limited by geographic and logistic constraints. Due to the location of the work, it would be impossible to completely avoid impacts to waters of the U.S. Dredging would occur in Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. Depositing the dredged material in the Anchorage Harbor Open Water Disposal Site would avoid placing it in more sensitive areas (i.e., wetlands or mudflats).”
2. Minimization: “All dredging will be conducted to minimize the amount of dredge material and suspended sediments that enter the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet. Appropriate Best Management Practices (BMPs) will be employed to minimize sediment loss and turbidity generation during dredging. BMPs may include, but are not limited to, the following:
   • Eliminating multiple bites while the bucket is on the seafloor
   • No stockpiling of dredged material on the seafloor
   • No seafloor leveling such as “screeding”
   • Slowing the velocity (i.e., increasing the cycle time) of the ascending loaded clamshell bucket through the water column.
   • Pausing the dredge bucket near the bottom while descending and near the water line while ascending.
   • Placing filter material over the barge scuppers to clear return water. If dewatering runoff is discharged from the barge, silts must be removed prior to direct or indirect discharge to the Knik Arm of Cook Inlet.”
3. Mitigation: “Dredging will result in the removal and disposal of up to 1.25 million cubic yards of sediment from Knik Arm. The Port of Alaska states no compensatory mitigation is necessary as the impacts to waters of the U.S. is not impacting wetlands or other special aquatic sites. Dredging and disposal are the minimum necessary to maintain navigation. If compensatory mitigation is required, the Port of Alaska will purchase credits from an approved mitigation bank or in-lieu fee program.”

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 Julia Schweminski at 907-334-5994 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.