Notice of Application for State Water Quality Certification

Public Notice (PN) Date: October 9, 2026                PN Reference Number: POA-2022-00165 v1.0
PN Expiration Date: October 29, 2026                     Waterway: Skwentna 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[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) the 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-2022-00165 v1.0 or on or before the public notice expiration date listed above.

Applicant: Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), Brandon Brefcynzki, 813 West Northern Lights Blvd., Anchorage, AK 99503, (907) 347-4569; bbref@aidea.org

Agent: VHB, Rachel McNamara, 1001 G St., NW Suite 1125, Washington, DC 20001; (757) 279-2903; rmcnamara@vhb.com.

Project Name: AIDEA West Susitna Access Project

Proposed activity is planned to begin and end: 10/01/2026 to 04/01/2028

Location: The proposed activity is located within Section S20, T. T21N, R. R12W, Seward Meridian, in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska.  Project Site (Latitude, Longitude): 61.898455, -151.51406.

The proposed project site is located across several townships, ranges, and sections, and within the Johnson Creek, Middle and Lower Skwentna River, and Alexander Creek watersheds; between USGS Quads Tyonek C-2 and Tyonek D-7; the project is proposed to start at approximately 1.4 miles west of Alexander Creek (Latitude 61.55290º N., Longitude 150.67317º W.), at the end of the proposed Alaska DOT&PF West Susitna Access Road, and would continue for 78.5 miles northwestward into the Skwentna River Valley, and would end at the Whiskey Bravo Airstrip (Latitude 61.96250º N., Longitude 152.58727º W.) and mineral exploration camp, Matanuska-Susitna Borough (MSB), Alaska.

Purpose: The purpose of the West Susitna Access Project is to provide safe, year-round public road access to remote areas of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough (MSB). Starting from the West Susitna Access Road, this 78-mile road will provide access to remote Alaska State (State) public lands, private lands within MSB, and areas planned for resource development. The basic purpose of the West Susitna Access Project is transportation for a wide user group consisting of recreational, residential, commercial, and industrial users. No road currently exists. 

The 78-mile gravel access road would connect to the planned Alaska DOT&PF highway system near Alexander Creek and continue northwestward into the Skwentna River valley, ending at the existing Whiskey Bravo airstrip. This route provides an access corridor in proximity to an already used recreational hunting and fishing area; an existing platted subdivision for settlement; and large natural resource areas with marketable timber, critical and strategic minerals, agricultural lands, energy sources (e.g., oil, gas, coal, renewables) that include existing lease block areas, and a planned pipeline infrastructure project (Donlin Gold natural gas pipeline). The Western Susitna Basin contains occurrences of minerals such as antimony, copper, and gold, which are minerals referenced in Executive Order 14241, Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production, in Sec. 2(a) (March 20, 2025). The access road would provide surface access to these important minerals.

Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) proposed Project would be a multi-use, gravel road designed for the movement of goods, services, and equipment for a wide range of both public and private users. AIDEA anticipates that use of the Project would be consistent with the planned use of Alaska DOT&PF’s road and that both roads would be designed to serve similar purposes, with AIDEA’s Project extending public access west beyond Alexander Creek. Funding for the development and operation of the road is anticipated to be provided via public-private partnerships with AIDEA and resource development companies using similar financing and tolling models to AIDEA’s Delong Mountain Transportation System (DMTS) for the Red Dog Mine. The DMTS has resulted in significant socioeconomic and public benefits to the area communities and State through long-term, stable economic opportunities.

In addition to the two-lane access road, the Project would include construction of culverts and bridges at river/stream crossing locations as well as a maintenance station, airstrip, material source areas, and water extraction site access roads. Temporary construction components for the Project would include winter access routes, temporary river/stream crossings, temporary stream diversions, and cofferdams for bridge construction.

Description of Proposed Work:

Note: due to file size limits, supporting documentation is not enclosed. Please find figures and additional tables at: https://www.poa.usace.army.mil/Portals/34/docs/regulatory/publicnotices/2026/POA-2022-00165_20260204_PNFigures.pdf

AIDEA is seeking to construct a 78.5-mile-long, two-lane, gravel access road to the Skwentna River valley (West Susitna Access Project or “Project”).

Summary of the major components to be included in the construction of the proposed road.

The Project would be constructed entirely on State-owned land. The Project would not directly impact or encroach on any private property. A total of 951 existing private parcels are located within 5 miles of the road centerline. Property owners within 5 miles of the proposed Project. The Project would include a proposed 300-foot-wide right-of-way which would be available for routing of future utilities.

Two-Lane Road: The applicant states up to 700,000 cubic yards of fill material (crushed stone/gravel, non-frost-susceptible aggregate) will be placed in approximately 66 acres of aquatic resources to construct a 24-foot-wide by 78.5-mile-long gravel road, with two 10-foot-wide travel lanes and 2-foot outside shoulders, within a 300-foot-wide right-of-way.

A dust palliative such as calcium chloride may be mixed in with the crushed aggregate surface course material to control dust. All access roads would also be 24-foot-wide to accommodate heavy machinery. Approximately 100-foot dual pullouts would be constructed every mile and 300-foot dual pullouts every 6 miles. The road design would meet the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standards for a Rural Recreational and Scenic Road. Although the roadway would be designed for highway-legal vehicles, the design would not preclude oversized or overweight vehicles with proper traffic control and other considerations. The application of specific criteria is subject to the final design details.

Stream Crossings: The proposed route crosses numerous creeks, streams, and rivers, collectively referred to as “stream(s)” in this document. Crossings would be accomplished with culverts or bridges, depending upon the ordinary high water (OHW) stream widths, stream characteristics, and various topographic considerations. In some cases, the decision on stream crossing type was also based on construction cost, constructability, and long-term maintenance considerations.

Stream Crossings

Additional Road Components:

Bridges: The proposed project would require the construction of 10 bridges. None of the waterways to be bridged are currently listed as navigable by the U.S. Coast Guard or USACE or are subject to the ebb and flow of the tide.

Bridges would have a usable roadway width of 28 feet plus 1.5 feet on each side to allow for railings, for an overall width of 31 feet. Bridge spans up to approximately 150 feet would be subject to site-specific designs that may include modular-type pre-engineered bridges or DOT&PF-standard precast deck-bulb-tee girders. Similarly, bridge spans over 150 feet would be subject to site-specific designs that may include modular pre-engineered bridges or steel plate girder bridges with cast-in-place concrete deck. Maintain a minimum 25-foot setback from the bankfull edge of the waterway or adjacent wetland boundary to the toe of end slopes. End slopes are proposed to be 2 Horizontal (H):1 Vertical (V) for intermediate and complex bridges. Vertical abutments are proposed for routine single-span bridges. During final design, bridge lengths will be refined through a more detailed topographic survey, hydraulic analysis, regulatory agency consultation, and structural/geometric optimization. The minimum vertical clearance below bridges is 15 feet for streams that have boat traffic or could in the future. The minimum vertical clearance below bridges is 8 feet for streams that are not expected to have boat traffic. Vertical clearance requirements would also be refined based on site-specific hydrology and hydraulics during final design.

Bridge Crossings

Culverts:

Several streams would be crossed using culverts designed for either drainage or fish passage depending on their widths, stream characteristics, topographic considerations, or whether they are anadromous. There are 26 documented anadromous streams within the project footprint; other streams are likely to have resident fish based on location and connectivity to other streams. In total, there would be approximately 138 culverts, of which approximately 35 would be drainage culverts and 103 fish passage culverts. Culvert width would range from 3 to 50 feet wide depending on stream width. As part of the design effort, culvert crossings were categorized based on stream width and fish presence. Categorization of streams and design of stream crossings could change based on the results of future field studies, especially the verification of fish presence and OHW stream width.

Culvert Categories

Drainage culverts

Drainage culverts would be designed to meet the criteria provided in the Alaska Highway Preconstruction Manual (DOT&PF 2025) and Alaska Highway Drainage Manual (DOT&PF 2006). These manuals require drainage culverts to pass a specified design flood event without major impacts. The minimum size proposed for the project is 3 feet in diameter to minimize ponding potential, improve constructability, and allow for breakup flow capacity if ice forms in the culverts. Culvert size would be defined during final design.

Fish Passage Culverts:

Fish passage culverts would be designed in accordance with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Culvert Design Guidelines for Ecological Function, Alaska Fish Passage Program (USFWS 2024). Fish passage culvert planning and design would use the following stream simulation design criteria: 1) Culvert width would be not less than 1.5 times bankfull width (it is assumed that OHW width equals bankfull width at this preliminary engineering stage); 2) Slope should be within 25% of the bankfull channel slope; 3) Culvert invert burial should be 0.4 times culvert diameter for circular culverts or 0.2 times culvert height for pipe arches; burial is measured at the channel bottom; 4) Substrate located in culverts would remain stable up to, and including, the 50-year discharge; 4) Culverts would span the entire roadway toe-of-fill width plus one-half of the culvert height beyond the toe of fill; 5) Inlet and outlet protection should extend 2 times the culvert diameter from culvert end.

Culvert Counts by Category

Trail Crossings:

The current Iditarod trail, historical routes, and prescriptive routes for the Iditarod National Historic Trail (INHT) are in proximity to the proposed Project. The proposed route crosses documented INHT alignments at multiple locations. The route also crosses Revised Statute 2477 (RS2477) trails, motorized winter trails, and other miscellaneous recreational trails. Two types of crossing structures would be used where the proposed route intersects trails. At-grade crossings with broad approach slopes would be used for most smaller recreational trail crossings. Bridges would be used over larger or historical trail crossings, such as the INHT.

Trail Crossings

Material Sites:

There would be 17 material sites at approximately 1- to 7-mile intervals. They would provide the sand, gravel, and riprap needed for construction and maintenance of the road. Borrow sites provide gravel and sand, while quarry sites provide rock that can be processed into riprap or smaller aggregates. Materials would be transported from the material site by truck along constructed access roads. When needed, access roads would be constructed to the material site to transport heavy equipment to the site and transport material to the road corridor. Not all 17 material sites are expected to be used during construction to provide materials for the road. Additional geotechnical information would be collected during final design to determine the quantity and quality of the resources available at each material site. For this application, all waters within all material site boundaries have been included in the potential impact calculations. Material sites located in uplands may also be used as waste material disposal sites. Excess excavated material that is either unsuitable or not used as backfill would be disposed of at these sites. Material sites that were used during construction and determined to be no longer needed for road maintenance would be closed subject to State of Alaska landowner reclamation requirements and made available for public use.

Material Sites

Permanent Impacts from Material Sites

Permanent Impacts from Material Site Access Roads

Shell Creek Maintenance Station (SCMS)

The Shell Creek Maintenance Station (SCMS) would be located at Milepost 38.0 and occupy 19.5 acres. This maintenance station is located adjacent to the Shell Creek airstrip and would be permanent.  It would be used to facilitate worker shift changes as well as the transport of materials and equipment. It would consist of fence line dimensions of approximately 500 by 1,000 feet and would provide equipment storage, worker housing, and materials needed to maintain the road year-round. Ground disturbance outside the fence line is estimated to be approximately 100 feet for an overall disturbance area of 700 by 1,200 feet. SCMS would include on-site diesel-electric generators with secondary-containment fuel storage tanks for electricity generation, as well as a groundwater well for potable water supply, and a septic tank and drain field for sanitary sewage treatment and disposal. During construction, SCMS would be used as staging and laydown areas, as well as temporary construction camps, hence, it is sited near other project components to support major construction activities.

Airstrip: One airstrip would be constructed along the proposed route to support construction through the transport of construction equipment, materials, and worker crews. After construction is complete, the airstrip would facilitate emergency transport of workers and supplies to the maintenance station in the event of a road closure. The airstrip would be closed to public use during construction but could be open to public use after construction is complete. The runway would be 200 feet wide and 5,000 feet long, have a 500-foot-wide runway safety area (RSA), and be able to accommodate a C-130 Hercules.

Airstrip

Water Extraction Sites: The proposed Project would have nine water extraction sites located at regular intervals along the proposed route. Water extraction sites are composed of access roads to the bank of a water source, where water trucks can pump water for use during construction and maintenance. The access roads would have a 24-foot-wide surface to accommodate water trucks and heavy machinery during construction as well as for road maintenance. The typical structural section of the access road is the same as for the primary road and is shown on Figure RX-001 in Appendix A (Figures). Water extraction sites are located adjacent to some bridges; however, within areas with few stream crossings, water extraction sites are located at nearby ponds. Water extraction methods, equipment, and timing will comply with ADF&G guidelines for avoiding fish impingement. Water extraction sites and related access roads that were used during construction and determined to be no longer needed for road maintenance would be closed subject to State of Alaska landowner reclamation requirements and made available for public use.

Water Extraction Sites

Winter Access Route: The Skwentna River Bridge No. 1 crossing is at a location with steep topography. For this crossing a winter access route would be used to access and transport material to the other side of the bridge crossing during construction. The access route would generally be located within 1 mile of the proposed stream crossing, within areas with gentler slopes that are more favorable for transporting equipment. The route would only be used during winter. Construction would only involve vegetation clearing. Vehicles and equipment would drive on the frozen ground and river ice surface. No fill would be placed; however, minor cuts into steep upland sections of banks may be necessary.

Winter Access Route

Construction Staging Areas and Worker Camps: Construction staging areas and worker camps would be sited within the proposed footprint of the Project. Most staging and laydown areas, as well as camps, would either be located within the material sites, the road footprint, or the proposed footprint of the permanent maintenance station. No additional temporary construction staging areas or worker camps would be required.

Summary of Discharges: The Project would result in the permanent discharge of fill material into WOTUS for the construction of the road surface and embankment as well as the associated Project components, including culverts, bridges, and material sites. Temporary impacts on WOTUS would be limited to temporary piles for trestles during bridge construction. Temporary impacts on non-jurisdictional wetlands and waters would be associated with the winter access routes, culvert construction, vegetation clearing, and temporary piles for trestles during bridge construction.

Summary of Permanent Impacts by Project Component

Permanent Upland and Non-Jurisdictional Impacts:

Additional impacts are anticipated from construction of trail crossings, maintenance stations, airstrips, water extraction sites, and winter access roads on uplands and non-jurisdictional areas.

Additional Upland and Non-Jurisdictional Impacts

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: Given the purpose and length of the Project, complete avoidance of jurisdictional wetlands and waters is not possible. The Project has been designed to avoid and minimize impacts on WOTUS, non-jurisdictional wetlands, fish, Essential Fish Habitat (EFH), and other resources, wherever practicable, through avoidance and minimization measures such as route refinement, construction methods, selective siting of Project components, and appropriately sized conveyance structures. Regulations and guidelines associated with Section 404 of the CWA call for Project proponents to take measures to avoid or reduce adverse impacts on jurisdictional wetlands and other resources. The following avoidance and minimization measures have been incorporated into the design and construction of the Project.
   • Design Avoidance Measures: The proposed route has been designed to avoid and minimize impacts on WOTUS (including EFH) to the maximum extent practicable. Design engineers worked with wetland scientists to adjust the route throughout the length of the Project to avoid WOTUS, move road crossings perpendicular to stream channels, and cross wetlands at the narrowest possible point in consideration of topography and design criteria constraints. Alignment shifts to avoid and minimize impacts on wetlands were completed at multiple intervals throughout the Project duration starting in 2019.Includes alignment shifts made.
     • Material sites, the airstrip, the maintenance station, and other Project facilities have been sited in uplands to the maximum extent practicable.
     • Material sites, the airstrip, the maintenance station, and other Project facilities are collocated, to the maximum extent practicable, to avoid impacts on WOTUS.
     • The dimensions of the road will be the minimum required to meet the overall Project purpose.
     • The Project is designed to include a 50-foot buffer for anadromous waters and EFH, except where streams would be crossed, to avoid impacts on riparian habitat.
   • Construction Avoidance and Minimization Measures
     • To the extent practicable, laydown/staging areas and other work areas will be located within the road or other Project facility footprints, at least 50 feet from wetlands and/or the water’s edge. Equipment will remain inside the identified Project limits, and will not be stored, maintained, or repaired within WOTUS.
     • In locations where the roadway is constructed over jurisdictional wetlands, geo-fabric may be placed under roadway fill to minimize subsidence and migration of fill material into native soils.
     • Project limits within WOTUS will be clearly identified in the field (e.g., staking, flagging, silt fencing) prior to clearing and construction to ensure avoidance of impacts on WOTUS (including wetlands) beyond Project footprints.
     • A Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan will be prepared for this Project. The plan will clearly describe BMPs required during construction to prevent erosion and runoff from entering aquatic habitats:
       • Erosion and sediment control measures (perimeter protection) such as silt fences and straw wattles will be placed around jurisdictional wetlands and waters within the disturbance limit (within 15 feet).
       • Temporarily disturbed areas, including slopes, will be recontoured to match existing contours and stabilized in a timely manner within the post-disturbance growing season as work is completed. All silt fences, curtains, and other structures will be installed properly and maintained in a functioning manner for the life of the construction period where fill material and exposed soils might cause transport of sediment or turbidity beyond the immediate construction site.
       • Road embankment side slopes will be stabilized with an Alaska native seed mix as soon as possible after final grading.
       • Standard spill-prevention measures will be implemented during construction; spill clean-up equipment (e.g., oil-absorbent pads) will be available onsite during construction.
2. Minimization:

   Design Minimization Measures

   • The proposed road alignment is routed to minimize unavoidable impacts on sensitive areas such as WOTUS (including streams and EFH) to the extent practicable and in consideration of design criteria constraints.
   • Existing drainage patterns will be maintained; properly sized and designed culverts will be used in appropriate locations to maintain the natural flow patterns and timing of surface water inflows to adjacent wetlands and waters.
   • Culverts will be sized to reduce maintenance associated with debris clogging and icing, potential glaciation concerns, and sediment deposition; the minimum culvert size proposed is 3 feet in diameter to minimize ponding potential and allow for break-up flow capacity if ice forms in the culverts.
   • The proposed alignment will be routed so stream crossings are as close to perpendicular to the axis of the channel as engineering and routing conditions allow to minimize culvert and bridge length as well as reduce stream impacts.
   • Properly sized and designed culverts will be installed to minimize impacts on fish in fish bearing streams, and all anadromous fish stream crossings will be permitted according to ADF&G Title 16 guidelines. Fish passage culvert diameters will be sized to convey peak 100-year flows.
   • A 24-foot-wide, gravel road section with minimized use of roadside ditches will be used to promote sheet flow of runoff water from the road surface, increasing infiltration and vegetative filtration, thereby minimizing impacts on water quality resulting from concentrated runoff.
   • Roadside ditches will be designed to accommodate maintenance demands and snow storage.
3. Mitigation: Due to the number of streams within the proposed project area and the length of the proposed project, complete avoidance of WOTUS is impractical. Due to the proposed project’s small impact on jurisdictional waters, the distribution of the minimal impacts over multiple watersheds, and the extensive avoidance and minimization measures that AIDEA has already performed and committed to, AIDEA proposes no compensatory mitigation for the 3.18 acres of unavoidable impacts of jurisdictional aquatic resources.

• Locally sourced, contaminant-free embankment and surface materials will be used during construction to avoid introducing contaminated material to the Project area.
• All seeds used for revegetation will be certified to be free of prohibited noxious weeds in accordance with Alaska Administrative Code, Title 11, Chapter 34.
• Any stream bank affected by the work will be restored and stabilized. The stream bed and banks will be backfilled and restored to the pre-existing course, condition, capacity, and location.

• Coordination with USFWS will occur prior to construction to avoid and minimize impacts on nesting eagles in compliance with the BGEPA.
• Timing windows will be implemented to avoid clearing, grubbing, and other site preparation and construction activities during critical life stages for migratory birds, in compliance with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and BGEPA.
• ADF&G will determine timing windows during which in-water work will be authorized to minimize potential impacts on sensitive fish life stages such as spawning and/or migration periods. Timing windows for in-water work will be incorporated into the construction schedule.
• Construction activities will not result in a migration barrier for resident or anadromous fish. Fish passage will be maintained using temporary stream diversion channels, unless otherwise approved by the ADF&G Division of Habitat. Diversion techniques will likely involve creating a temporary diversion channel, plugging the natural channel upstream and downstream of the construction area, and temporarily rerouting flow into the diversion channel.

Note: USACE has determined that fewer than 66 acres of the aquatic resources within the proposed project footprint are likely to be jurisdictional under the USACE regulatory authority.

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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