NOTICE OF PROPOSED CHANGES TO
ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION
REGULATIONS REGARDING WATER QUALITY STANDARDS
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will be accepting public comment on amendments to Title 18, Chapters 70 of the Alaska Administrative Code. DEC is proposing to amend regulations to reclassify select waters on LaTouche Island, Prince William Sound that have been impacted by historic mining activity.
DEC proposes to adopt regulation changes in Title 18, Chapter 70 of the Alaska Administrative Code dealing with water quality standards, including the following:
(1) 18 AAC 70.230: Procedure for reclassification; reclassified waters
a. At 18 AAC 70.230(e); Amend table to include new paragraphs describing select waters on LaTouche Island and the applicable designated uses.
You may comment on the proposed regulation changes, including the potential costs to private persons for complying with the proposed changes, by submitting written comments to Brock Tabor, DEC Division of Water at P.O. Box 111800, Juneau, Alaska 99811-1800, by electronic mail to brock.tabor@alaska.gov, or on the DEC online public commenting system at https://dec.alaska.gov/comment/. The comments must be received not later than 11:59 p.m. on December 13, 2024.
You may submit written questions relevant to the proposed action to Brock Tabor by electronic mail at brock.tabor@alaska.gov or to Water Quality Standards Section, DEC Division of Water, P.O. Box 111800, Juneau, Alaska 99811-1800. All questions must be received at least 10 days before the end of the public comment period. DEC will aggregate its response to substantially similar questions and make the questions and responses available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System and at https://dec.alaska.gov/water/water-quality/standards/recent-activities/.
DEC may, but is not required to, answer written questions received after the 10-day cut-off date and before the end of the comment period.
Oral or written comments also may be submitted at a telephonic hearing to be held on November 25, 2024. The public hearing number is 1-800-315-6338; Access code 51851. There will not be in-person attendance provided at the hearing site, so please prepare to share your oral comments virtually. This public hearing is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and priority will be given to commenters on the line before the beginning of the hearing. The hearing may be extended to accommodate those on the line before 5:30 p.m., who did not have an opportunity to comment.
If you are a person with a disability who needs a special accommodation in order to participate in this process, please contact Julia Schweminski at 907-269-7660 or TDD Relay Service 1-800-770-8973/TTY or dial 711 not later than November 15, 2024 to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.
A copy of the proposed regulation changes is available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System and by contacting Brock Tabor at brock.tabor@alaska.gov or 907-465-5185.
After the public comment period ends, DEC will either adopt the proposed regulation changes or other provisions dealing with the same subject, without further notice, or decide to take no action. The language of the final regulations may be different from that of the proposed regulations. You should comment during the time allowed if your interests could be affected. Written comments received are public records and are subject to public inspection. DEC will make all comments received available in their entirety on DEC’s public notice site, at https://dec.alaska.gov/comment/.
Statutory Authority: AS 46.03.020; AS 46.03.050; AS 46.03.070; AS.46.03.080;
Statutes Being Implemented, Interpreted, or Made Specific: AS 46.03.010; AS 46.03.020; AS 46.03.050; AS 46.03.070; AS.46.03.080; AS 46.03.100; AS 46.03.110; AS 46.03.710; AS 44.46.020
Fiscal information: The proposed regulation changes are not expected to require an increased appropriation.
DEC’s Water Division keeps a list of individuals and organizations interested in its regulations. Those on the list will automatically be sent a copy of all DEC Water Division notices of proposed regulation changes. To be added to or removed from the list, send a request to DEC’s Water Division at brock.tabor@alaska.gov giving your name, and either your email address or mailing address, as you prefer for receiving notices.
Individuals can also signup to receive automated notifications of all State of Alaska notices, including public notice for regulation changes, by subscribing to the Alaska Online Public Notices System: https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/.