Notice of Application for State Water Quality Certification

Public Notice (PN) Date: October 6, 2025                   PN Reference Number: POA-2025-00116 v1.0
PN Expiration Date: November 5, 2025                                         Waterway: Beaufort Sea

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[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 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-2025-00116 v1.0 or on or before the public notice expiration date listed above.

Applicant: Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center PRSC, Jones Tanner, 10471 20th Street, Suite 302, JBER, AK 99506, (907) 552-5517; PRSC.PACAF.Permits@us.af.mil

Agent: 3-Tier Alaska, Michaela McGee, 326 Driveway Street, Fairbanks, AK 99701; (907) 455-7225; mmcgee@3tieralaska.com.

Project Name: Oliktok Long Range Radar Station (LRRS) Road Project

Dates of the proposed activity are planned to begin and end: 10/01/2025 to 04/06/2028

Location: The proposed activity is located within Section 17 & 8, T. 13, R. 9E, Umiat Meridian, in the North Slope Borough, Alaska.  Project Site (Latitude, Longitude): 70.481302, -149.86611.

Purpose: The applicant’s stated purpose is to provide reliable, year-round access and power supply to the Oliktok Long Range Radar Station (LRRS), located at Oliktok Point on the Beaufort Sea, approximately 35 miles from Prudhoe Bay and Nuiqsut. The LRRS supports peacetime air surveillance for the North American Air Defense Command and is adjacent to private oil exploration and production infrastructure. The existing coastal access road and underground utilities are subject to seasonal damage from Beaufort Sea storms and wave action, requiring frequent repairs. The proposed inland road and overhead power line would minimize maintenance costs, enhance access reliability, improve power reliability, and reduce the environmental cost of having to perform repeated coastal repairs.

Description of Proposed Work: The applicant proposes to discharge a total of 65,550 cubic yards of fill into 7.0 acres of wetlands for the construction of a 1.25-mile access road and the installation of overhead powerline utilities.

The proposed road construction would involve the discharge of 65,100 cubic yards of granular fill material into 6.8 acres of wetlands to construct an approximately 1.25-mile-long road from an inland portion of the existing road system to the Oliktok LRRS. The proposed road would measure 45 feet wide, with the exception of two (2) pullout areas where the road dimensions would widen to approximately 75 feet. The depth of the road would range from 5.5 foot to 6.75 foot with side slopes varying from 2:1 to 1.75:1. Seven (7) 24-inch diameter culverts and one (1) 18-inch diameter culvert would be installed within the roadway prism to maintain cross drainage. The road would be installed primarily when the ground is frozen using bulldozers, graders, loaders, rollers, and thirty-ton haul trucks, as well as other necessary support equipment. Material for the road would be obtained from an existing gravel pit and transported to the site using existing roads, the road as established, and ice roads.

The proposed installation of overhead powerlines would impact 0.2 acres of wetlands. The powerline would intertie with the local, high-voltage, overhead, power network and run parallel to and east of the proposed new road. Construction of the powerline would involve the installation of power poles during frozen conditions using skid steer, loaders, tracked drill rig, trencher, boom truck, thirty-ton haul truck, and other necessary support equipment. Drilling of poles would occur from the ice road access along the alignment of the overhead power. The poles would be placed in the ground using set and slurry pile methods (drill hole, set pile, and fill annulus with slurry). Approximately 375 cubic yards and 75 cubic yards of sand slurry would be placed as backfill in drilled power pole and anchor installations and transformer pile foundations, respectively. Impacts to wetlands from the powerline installation would include the drilled shaft, the backfilled crown of the power pole at grade, and the installation of guy wires and grounding wires.

Additional Information: The applicant will be applying for a Land Use Permit from the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and a Letter of Authorization from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

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: Impacts to wetlands for the construction of the project are unavoidable, as the project is located within an extensive wetland area with no uplands within the vicinity. Impacts to wetlands have been minimized during the design process by avoiding open water (PUBH) wetlands.
2. Minimization: Impacts to wetlands will be minimized through the following methods:
   • Fills in wetlands will be placed during frozen conditions, and ice roads will be utilized to prevent disturbance to wetlands. Construction will begin in January 2026.
   • The road will be constructed on the undisturbed tundra. Snow and ice greater than 4 inches thick will be removed before placing fill for the road.
   • Re-working of roadway fills in summer will be done from the established roadway fill footprint only and will not further disturb wetlands.
   • Best management practices (BMPs) would be implemented during construction to minimize erosion due to sedimentation from new fill in wetlands.
   • Culverts would be designed along the access road to maintain natural drainage patterns.
3. Mitigation: The USACE has decided to purchase North Slope Wetland Mitigation Credits to offset 7 acres of wetland impacts.

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 in order to participate in this public process, please contact ADA Coordinator Kristin Mabry, kristin.mabry@alaska.gov, 1-907-334-0884; or TDD Relay Service 1-800-770-8973/TTY or dial 711 at least 3 days prior to the expiration/closure date of this public notice to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.

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