Notice of Application for State Water Quality Certification

Public Notice (PN) Date: June 12, 2026                   PN Reference Number: POA-2026-00117 v1.0
PN Expiration Date: July 13, 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-2026-00117 v1.0 or on or before the public notice expiration date listed above.

Applicant: City and Borough of Juneau, Jenny Smith, 155 Heritage Way, Juneau, AK 99801, (907) 586-0499; Jenny.Smith@juneau.gov

Agent: PND Engineers, Inc., Lisa Lee, 1506 W 36th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99503; (907) 646-2787; llee@pndengineers.com.

Project Name: CBJ Seawalk - Franklin Dock to AJ Dock

Dates of the proposed activity are planned to begin and end: 04/01/2027 to 04/01/2029

Location: The proposed activity is located within Section 25, T. 041S, R. 067E, Copper River Meridian, in the City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska. Project Site (Latitude, Longitude): 58.290700, -134.39340.

Purpose: The City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) seeks to extend the existing seawalk from the Franklin Dock to the AJ Dock to provide safe and continuous pedestrian access between cruise vessels moored at the AJ Dock and Downtown Juneau. The proposed work includes construction of a pile-supported seawalk, a cruise ship mooring dolphin with access catwalks, upland improvements, wayfinding signage, site furnishings, and associated power and lighting. Construction will also require demolition and removal of an existing transfer bridge, mooring dolphins, a pile-supported dock, a moorage float, gangways, and multiple abandoned piles.

Description of Proposed Work: The proposed work includes demolition and permanent removal of several existing waterfront structures: a 27-by-100-foot transfer bridge, a 16-by-120-foot dock, a 10-by-90-foot moorage float, a 5-by-75-foot gangway, and a 5-by-55-foot gangway. Associated mooring dolphins and abandoned piles will also be removed. All components will be salvaged or disposed of at an approved off-site facility. Timber piles that break during extraction will be cut flush with the mudline.

Following demolition, construction will include a pile-supported pedestrian seawalk with a total over-water footprint of approximately 1.0 acre (0.85 acres seaward of Mean High Water), as well as a cruise ship mooring dolphin with two 4-foot-wide access catwalks totaling 210 feet in length. Upland improvements will include wayfinding signage, furnishings, power, and lighting.

The project requires the removal of 80 existing piles (64 timber and 16 steel). Removed steel piles include four 36-inch-diameter piles and twelve 24-inch-diameter piles from two existing mooring dolphins. All extraction, including temporary template piles, will be performed using vibratory methods.

A total of 238 new permanent steel pipe piles will be installed for the seawalk, mooring dolphin, and catwalks. Temporary 24-inch-diameter steel template piles will be used to guide installation and then removed. Permanent piles will be installed with vibratory hammers and proofed with impact hammers. Five 3-inch-diameter rock anchors, set in 10-inch-diameter rock sockets, will be installed using down-the-hole hammer drilling where required for structural capacity.

Approximately 1,500 cubic yards of existing rock embankment will be temporarily removed (1,200 cubic yards below the High Tide Line) and replaced following pile installation. No new permanent fill will be discharged into waters of the United States.

The project extends the existing seawalk from Franklin Dock to the AJ Dock. Additional demolition includes removal and salvage of the transfer bridge on Franklin Dock Enterprise property; demolition and offsite disposal of two mooring/breasting dolphins; demolition of the former National Guard dock, moorage float, and access abutment; and removal and salvage of associated gangways. Abandoned timber piles will be extracted where feasible or cut at the mudline if necessary. Temporary removal and replacement of armor rock around new pile locations may be required.

Pile installation will use vibratory and impact driving from a crane barge or land-based crane, using equipment such as the APE 200 or ICE 28B vibratory hammers and Pileco D62 or D19 diesel impact hammers. All new dock and mooring dolphin structures will be founded on galvanized steel pipe piles with sacrificial anodes for corrosion control. Internal rock anchors will be used for mooring dolphin piles that do not achieve the required embedment.

Utilities may include installation of an 8-inch-diameter (or smaller) dry fire suppression line, along with power, lighting, data, and safety cameras. The mooring dolphin will consist of a five-pile group with a steel pile cap and will be accessed by two catwalks supported midspan by a two-pile bent.

Upland improvements include furnishings, information and wayfinding signage, art installations, and lighting. Materials will be reclaimed, recycled, or disposed of per regulations. Project equipment and barges will be demobilized to appropriate ports following completion.

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 WOTUS could not be entirely avoided for this project because this project is a pile-supported structure dependent on marine access.
2. Minimization: No new fill will be placed in WOTUS as part of this project. Portions of the existing fill will be removed before pile installation and replaced afterwards. Incorporation of the proposed BMPs listed above will avoid and minimize impacts to WOTUS to the extent possible. The contractor will comply with local, state, and federal water quality standards.
3. Mitigation: Impacts to waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) could not be entirely avoided, as the nature of this project is dependent on maritime access. The construction footprint was minimized to the smallest possible size to provide a safe, functional seawalk while meeting the goal of improving accessibility and public safety.

The proposed project will be constructed over previously disturbed upland fill areas near the top of the existing slopes. In-water impacts are limited and primarily associated with the removal of existing piles and marine infrastructure to accommodate the new seawalk alignment. Because the project footprint occurs predominantly within previously impacted areas and results in a net reduction of in-water structures, no loss of aquatic resource functions is anticipated. Accordingly, no compensatory mitigation is proposed.

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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