Public Notice (PN) Date: July 9, 2026                      PN Reference Number: POA-2025-00211 v1.0
PN Expiration Date: August 10, 2026                      Waterway: Indian 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-2025-00211 v1.0 or on or before the public notice expiration date listed above.

Applicant: Baranof Island Housing Authority, Lucas Goddard, 245 Katlian Ave, Sitka, AK 99835, (907) 723-6811; lucas.goddard@bihasitka.org

Project Name: Baranof Island HA Yaw Drive Subdivision / Kaasda Heen Shaak Ph.2

Dates of the proposed activity are planned to begin and end: 05/01/2026 to 11/16/2027

Location: The proposed activity is located within Section 35, T. 55 South, R. 63 East, Copper River Meridian, in the City and Borough of Sitka, Alaska. 1-8560-200. Project Site (Latitude, Longitude): 57.060503, -135.31136.

Purpose: The applicant’s stated purpose is to develop a residential subdivision in Sitka, Alaska, to increase the supply of buildable housing lots in response to documented local housing shortages. The project will provide residential lots, internal access roads, and utility infrastructure necessary to support housing development within the City and Borough of Sitka.

Description of Proposed Work: The applicant proposes to construct a 47 lot subdivision, including roads, utility infrastructure, and a laydown yard. Development of this subdivision requires the placement of fill material within jurisdictional wetlands to establish stable building pads, roadway embankments, utility corridors, and drainage infrastructure necessary to provide safe access and municipal services.

Due to extensive wetlands, limited upland areas, and site topography, complete avoidance of wetland impacts is not practicable. Wetland fill has been minimized through careful site design, reduced roadway footprints where feasible, optimized utility alignments, and avoidance of the highest value aquatic resources. The project would place approximately 82,938 cubic yards of clean fill into 6.5 acres of wetlands. Site preparation would include clearing, grubbing, and excavation of organic overburden, with geotextile fabric used in certain locations to stabilize road sections over soft subgrade.

Construction activities will incorporate erosion and sediment control best management practices, stormwater treatment measures, and phased sequencing to maintain compliance with Alaska Water Quality Standards. Protective buffers around the anadromous salmon stream will remain intact, and stormwater will be managed through engineered systems designed to maintain pre development hydrology to the extent practicable.

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: During project planning, we evaluated multiple layout configurations in order to avoid and reduce impacts to jurisdictional wetlands and to the anadromous salmon stream located on-site. As part of the avoidance strategy:
   • We excluded the entire northwest portion of the property from development activities.
   • This area surrounds the on-site anadromous salmon stream and protecting it was prioritized to ensure no direct impact to streambanks or hydrology.
   • By not developing this section, we increased the natural buffer area around the salmon-bearing waterway, preserving riparian function, maintaining shade, minimizing erosion potential, and protecting habitat quality.

   Avoidance measures have substantially reduced potential direct and indirect impacts to fish habitat and wetlands associated with the stream corridor.

2. Minimization: To further reduce the overall project footprint and associated wetland impacts, we employed site design strategies that minimize ground disturbance: The project will be developed as a Planned Unit Development (PUD) to allow flexible lot design and smaller individual lot sizes.

• This approach allows us to accommodate the required number of housing lots while reducing the total land area disturbed by development.
• Roads, utilities, and infrastructure have been consolidated to reduce fragmentation and minimize fill placement within wetlands.
• Construction-phase best management practices (BMPs) will be implemented, including silt fencing, vegetation preservation where feasible, directional drainage controls, and restricted equipment access zones near the protected stream buffer.

These measures collectively reduce the project’s spatial footprint and the duration and magnitude of construction-related 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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