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Notice of Application for State Water Quality Certification, Tanana River, Godspeed Leasing, LLC, Fairbanks Gravel Road and Tanana River Gravel Harvest

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
Wastewater Discharge Authorization Program/§401 Certification
555 Cordova Street, Anchorage AK 99501-2617

Notice of Application for State Water Quality Certification

Public Notice (PN) Date:
May 2, 2025 

PN Expiration Date:
May 19, 2025

PN Reference Number:
POA-2025-00081 v1.0

Waterway:
Tanana River

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 of 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 received  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 a public hearing with respect to water quality, submit comments via (preferred method) DEC website https://dec.alaska.gov/commish/public-notices/ or email to the DEC email address: DEC-401Cert@alaska.gov with the subject line referencing Public Notice Reference Number: POA-2025-00081 v1.0 or on or before the public notice expiration date listed above.

Applicant: 
Godspeed Leasing, LLC, John Binkley, 5325 Chena Small Tracts Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709, 907-479-6673; john@riverboatdiscovery.com

Project Name: 
Fairbanks Gravel Road and Tanana River Gravel Harvest

Dates of the proposed activity is planned to begin and end: 
03/20/2025 to 10/20/2026 

Location: 
The proposed activity is located within Section 14, T. 2S, R. 3W, Fairbanks Meridian, in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska.  Project Site (Latitude, Longitude): 64.740083, -148.10250.

Purpose: 
The purpose of the project is to construct a road to connect private property to the existing Rosie Creek Trail for access to an existing cabin and two parcels of land, which are only accessible by snow machine or on foot.

Description of Proposed Work: 

Road Construction: The applicant proposes to discharge up to 15,000 cubic yards of fill into 1.9 acres of wetlands to construct a new road and excavate up to 15,000 cubic yards of gravel from 2.1 acres below the ordinary high water (OHW) of the Tanana River. The proposed road would measure approximately 4,067 linear feet in total, with 3,208 linear feet of road length requiring discharge in wetlands. The proposed alignment would begin at Rosie Creek Trail, an existing gravel road, and extend eastward to the applicant’s property. The roadbed would measure 26 feet wide at the toe slope, with an 18-foot-wide road surface, 1:2 side slopes, and 4-foot-wide shoulders. Additionally, two feet on either side of the road would be cleared of woody vegetation using a Fecon mulching head. Vegetation would be cleared without disturbance to the ground surface or soils. Approximately 2,500 linear feet of road would be located along a previously cleared property line boundary, reducing the requisite amount of land clearing. Additionally, there would be one vehicle pullout constructed to measure approximately 20 feet by 50 feet. Geotextile would be placed along the length of the proposed road and overlain with gravel. Four culverts (24-inch diameter) would be installed at natural drainage points along the proposed road corridor.

For the proposed road, approximately 2.38 acres (12,500 cubic yards) of gravel fill would be discharged. Approximately 1.91 acres of fill would be placed in wetlands, and 0.46 acres would be placed in uplands.

Gravel Harvest: Gravel harvest would occur in spring 2025 during low water. Road construction would begin in spring 2025 and would occur for an estimated 18 months. The proposed project would include the removal of approximately 15,000 cubic yards of river gravel from a designated material site (ADL 419774) from below ordinary high water (OHW) of the Tanana River.

Gravel fill material for the road would be excavated and transported from a gravel bar in the Tanana River using an excavator, dozer, and dump truck. Excavation activities would occur during low-water periods. Road construction would occur as soon as gravel excavation is possible and while the ground is still frozen. Road construction is anticipated to take approximately 18 months in total. Gravel and equipment would be transported to and from the gravel bar via an existing access road. No vegetation clearing would occur. If needed, gravel would be stockpiled in nearby uplands or along the existing road surface until construction of the road can commence (described below). About 2,500 cy would be set aside for existing private road maintenance.

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.

a. Avoidance: The applicant stated that avoidance altogether is impractical because work must occur within the waters of the U.S. to meet the project’s purpose. The terrain between the property and the existing road system is primarily composed of wetlands. The applicant considered an alternative alignment that would tie into Kallenberg Road, which is the other nearest existing road. However, the applicant stated that this alternative would require a greater discharge of fill in wetlands as well as crossing Rosie Creek, a perennial stream which has documented resident fish populations.
b. Minimization: The applicant stated that the proposed site was selected to avoid and minimize impacts to waters of the U.S. to the extent feasible while fulfilling the project purpose and need. The proposed road alignment was designed to follow the most direct route and incorporate as much previously cleared corridor as possible. The applicant modified their original plans to narrow the road from a 20-foot surface down to an 18-foot surface to minimize impacts, while still maintaining 1:2 slopes.

The applicant also proposed the following mitigation measures:
- Construction limits would be staked along the entire road alignment.
- No stockpiling or staging would occur within wetlands or below the OHW of the Tanana River.
- Water quality would be protected during construction through BMPs, including the use of sedimentation prevention measures (i.e., silt fence or other means), which would be maintained until all in-water work is complete.
- Natural vegetation would be retained where possible. Disturbed areas would be revegetated with native seeds and restored to preconstruction conditions.
- In-water work would only be conducted at times that minimize the impact to fish.

c. Mitigation: The applicant stated that they do not believe compensatory mitigation should be required based on the following:
- The applicant inquired with the Tanana Watershed Umbrella Stream and Wetland Mitigation Bank on February 26, 2025, and the bank’s sponsor informed them that there were no mitigation credits available. This is the only mitigation bank that serves the area.
- The total area of impacted wetlands would represent a very small proportion of intact wetlands in the area. In the applicant’s research, they found that according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s National Wetland Inventory (NWI), the proposed road would cross a palustrine forested/scrub wetland complex that comprises approximately 780 acres. Thus, the proposed wetland impacts of 1.9 acres would amount to 0.2% of the forested/scrub wetland complex, which is a very small proportion.
- The applicant believes that they have proposed an alternative that is the least impactful to waters of the U.S., and they have designed the project for minimization, including reducing the width of the road and installing culverts to maintain hydrology.

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. To inquire about or 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 to participate in this public process, please contact ADA Coordinator Megan MacPherson at 907-269-7553, Megan.MacPherson@alaska.gov or TDD Relay Service 1 800-770-8973/TTY or dial 711 at least 3 days before the expiration/closure date of this public notice to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.
 

Attachments, History, Details

Revision History

Created 5/2/2025 2:44:59 PM by jrschlosser
Modified 5/2/2025 2:47:51 PM by jrschlosser
Modified 5/2/2025 3:03:53 PM by jrschlosser

Details

Department: Environmental Conservation
Category: Public Notices
Sub-Category:
Location(s): Statewide
Project/Regulation #: POA-2025-00081 v1.0
 
Publish Date: 5/2/2025
Archive Date: 5/20/2025
 
Events/Deadlines: