Notice of Application for State Water Quality Certification

Public Notice (PN) Date: January 27, 2026              PN Reference Number: POA-2025-00252 v1.0
PN Expiration Date: February 26, 2026                                 Waterway: Gastineau Channel

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-2025-00252 v1.0 or on or before the public notice expiration date listed above.

Applicant: Turnagain Marine Construction, Chris Nielson, 5050 Cordova St., Suite 200, Anchorage, AK 99503, (360) 483-3801; cnielsen@turnagain.us

Agent: Solstice Alaska Consulting, Inc, Robin Reich, 2607 Fairbanks Street, Suite B, Anchorage, AK 99503; (907) 929-5960; robin@solsticeak.com.

Project Name: Aak'w Landing Development Project

Dates of the proposed activity are planned to begin and end: 08/01/2026 to 08/01/2027

Location: The proposed activity is located within Section 23, T. 041 S, R. 067 E, Copper River Meridian, in City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska. Project Site (Latitude, Longitude): 58.298583, -134.41617.

Purpose: The purpose of the Project is to construct a cruise ship dock and seawalk adjacent to downtown Juneau. The new dock, which would accommodate a class of increasingly larger cruise ships and their passengers, is needed to provide additional safe harbor in Juneau and allow docked ships to spread out across the waterfront, while eliminating ship-to-shore boat trips and reducing marine traffic congestion in Gastineau Channel. This project is part of a larger development effort that includes constructing dining, retail, and event spaces, as well as an indigenous knowledge, science, and cultural learning center.

Description of Proposed Work: Turnagain Marine Construction (TMC), under contract with Aak’w Landing, LLC, proposes to construct a seawalk and cruise ship dock adjacent to downtown Juneau, Alaska.

The project would construct a pile-supported seawalk from Egan Drive and a pile-supported seawalk from Whittier Street. Both seawalks would connect to a pile-supported fixed dock. From the fixed dock, a vehicle trestle would be constructed, connecting to a new cruise ship dock consisting of a pile-supported mooring trestle, a transfer span, and a pontoon float. The project would install two pile-supported float restraint dolphins at each end of the pontoon float and two mooring dolphins past the end of the float, connected via gangway. The project would also remove a fixed T-dock directly adjacent to the project site that is supported by wood piles.

The project would occur in and over the waters of the United States. No fill, dredging, or blasting is proposed as part of the project. The proposed work would occur below the High Tide Line (HTL) of Gastineau Channel (approximately 20.6 feet above the 0.0-foot contour). The applicant proposes the construction and removal of the components listed below.

The proposed project would remove:

• The Standard Oil Pier, a fixed T-dock with two hundred eighty-one (281) 20-inch diameter wood piles directly adjacent to the proposed project.

The proposed project would construct:

• A 352-foot-long by 32-foot-wide sea walk and a 176-foot-long by 20-foot-wide sea walk supported by seventy-eight (78) 36-inch diameter plumb steel piles
• A 172-foot-long by 82-foot-wide fixed dock supported by sixty-six (66) 48-inch diameter plumb steel piles
• A 260-foot-long by 12-foot-wide vehicle trestle and a 340-foot-long by 12-foot-wide pedestrian walkway supported by sixty-eight (68) 36-inch diameter plumb steel piles
• A 250-foot-long by 30-foot-wide mooring trestle supported by fourteen (14) batter and fourteen (14) plumb 42-inch diameter steel piles
• A 100-foot-long transfer span
• Two float restraint dolphins consisting of eight (8) batter and eight (8) plumb 48-inch diameter steel piles
• Two mooring dolphins consisting of twelve (12) 48-inch diameter steel piles; and
• One 500-foot-long by 70-foot-wide floating pontoon.

The two hundred eighty-one (281) 20-in diameter piles associated with the Standard Oil Pier would be removed using the dead pull method via crane. A vibratory hammer would then be used if the removal is not achieved with the dead pull method.

For pile installation, temporary pile templates would be installed by vibrating and impact hammering. Piles below 60 feet would also be down-the-hole (DTH) drilled into position. Temporary piles would be extracted using the vibratory hammer. Placement of temporary piles. The purpose of the project is to construct a dock that accommodates large cruise ships and their passengers.

To meet the project's purpose and need, construction must occur within the waters of the United States. The project would be located within the already industrialized section of the Gastineau Channel. would include the installation and removal of 160 piles. Pile templates would be constructed by installing one (1) to four (4) temporary piles to be used as a guide for positioning permanent pilings. The sea walk, fixed dock, pedestrian walkway, and vehicle trestle pile installation would require vibratory and impact methods. The mooring trestle dolphin piles would require vibratory, impact, and DTH drilling and anchoring installation methods. First, piles would be vibrated into place. Each pile would then be driven to tip elevation using an impact hammer to seat the pile into the bedrock. If a pile requires anchoring, once the pile achieves tip elevation, a DTH hammer would be placed inside the pile. Piles would be installed to a depth to be determined by a previous geotechnical investigation. The piles would then be anchored with concrete. The volume of drill cuttings to be produced would depend on the final depth of the piles, but an estimated 1 cubic yard of drill cuttings per foot deep would be produced during DTH drilling. Of the 268 permanent piles to be installed, 110 piles would be installed between the high tide line and the mean high-water mark.

Two (2) or three (3) material barges (approximately 250-feet-long by 76-feet-wide by 15.5-feet high) would transport materials from Seattle, Washington, to the project site and be used as an onsite staging area during construction. One (1) construction barge, the Swiftwater crane barge (230-feet-long by 60-feet-wide by 15.5-feet-high), would be on-site to support construction. The barge would travel from Kodiak to Juneau. Two (2) 20-foot-long skiffs, each with a single 90-horsepower Honda outboard motor, would be transported to the project site on the crane barge to support construction and potentially for marine mammal monitoring activities.

Construction would begin in May 2026 and be completed within one calendar year. Pile installation and removal activities are expected to occur for approximately 1,333 cumulative hours. The construction timeline considers the mobilization of materials and potential delays due to delayed material deliveries, equipment maintenance, inclement weather, and shutdowns that may occur to prevent impacts to protected marine mammal species.

Additional Information: A geotechnical investigation, authorized under DA permit file number POA- 2025- 00252, was conducted to assess the physical and mechanical properties of the subsurface conditions of the project site to gather information necessary for the design, construction, and long-term stability of the proposed project in May of 2025. Additionally, the applicant will be applying for an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

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: The applicant states that to meet the project's purpose and needs, construction must occur within WOTUS. The project will be located within the already industrialized section of the Gastineau Channel. No filling or dredging is proposed with this project.
2. Minimization: The project uses the most compact design practicable (with the least number of piles and smallest pile sizes) to minimize impacts to waters of the United States.
3. Mitigation: Treated timber piles associated with an old dock and other structures would be removed. If contaminated sediments are encountered during construction, the contractor will immediately notify agencies and stop work until coordination on the appropriate response occurs with ADEC. Wood that has been surface- or pressure-treated with creosote or treated with pentachlorophenol will not be used. If treated wood must be used, any wood that comes in contact with water will be treated with preservatives in accordance with Best Management Practices developed by the Western Wood Preservers Institute. Treated wood will be inspected before installation to ensure that no superficial deposits of preservative material remain on the wood. Plans for avoiding, minimizing, and responding to releases of sediments, contaminants, fuels, oil, and other pollutants will be developed and implemented. Spill response equipment will be kept on-site during construction and operation.

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 that 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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