Notice of Application for State Water Quality Certification

Public Notice (PN) Date: October 7, 2026            PN Reference Number: POA-2025-00475 v1.0
PN Expiration Date: November 6, 2026                Waterway: Dollar Lake

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-2025-00475 v1.0 or on or before the public notice expiration date listed above.

Applicant: Owner/Applicant, Jeff Dyson, 20083 Alsop Rd, Wasilla, AK 99623, (907) 250-9983; jeffdyson34@gmail.com

Agent: HDL Engineering Consultants, LLC, Owen Means, 3335 Arctic Blvd. Suite 100, Anchorage, AK 99503; (907) 564-2143; omeans@hdlalaska.com.

Project Name: Alsop Canal - Dyson Floatplane Channel & Driveway

Dates of the proposed activity are planned to begin and end: 10/01/2026 to 10/31/2027

Location: The proposed activity is located within Section 26, T. 15N, R. 24W, Seward Meridian, in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska.  Project Site (Latitude, Longitude): 61.357546, -149.95023.

Purpose: The proposed project would develop a private floatplane facility serving aviation users in the southern portion of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough (MSB). According to the 2017 MSB Regional Aviation System Plan (RASP), there is currently an unmet demand for floatplane facilities in the southern portion of the MSB. The RASP identified several locations of public-use facilities. The proposed project was not included in the list of potential public-use facilities, but would provide similar services to other existing private facilities such as Wolf Lake.

Description of Proposed Work: The applicant proposes to construct a canal connecting an existing gravel airstrip at 20083 Alsop Road in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough to an unnamed lake for floatplanes based at the airstrip to access the unnamed lake for takeoffs and landings. The canal would feature an approximately 700-foot-long by 20-foot-wide excavated channel with a 120-foot-long by 120-foot-wide permanent staging pond; two (2) parallel gravel driveways, with the west driveway measuring 714-foot-long by 12-foot-wide at the top surface and the east driveway measuring 646-foot-long by 12-foot-wide at the top surface; and a 40-foot-long by 40-foot-wide launch/takeout ramp constructed of gravel and borrow material obtained from the applicant’s upland property. Approximately 4,000 cubic yards of material would be excavated to a depth of two (2) feet from 0.33 acres of palustrine scrub-shrub wetlands and lacustrine deepwater habitat to construct the channel. The excavated material would be used for landscaping on the applicant’s upland property and shared with the neighbor for private use. Excess excavated material may be disposed of in the applicant’s material source area.

Approximately 20,000 cubic yards of fill material would be placed into 0.66 acres of palustrine scrub-shrub wetlands to construct the embankments for the driveways.

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 attempted to secure floatplane access via uplands on the neighboring property to the east. However, access was not granted by the property owner.
2. Minimization: Minimization includes limiting the length and width of the proposed driveways to the minimum needed to safely operate machinery and equipment to conduct initial and ongoing maintenance dredging of the channel.
3. Mitigation: The application proposes to purchase credits from an approved wetland mitigation bank in the local service area to compensate for unavoidable permanent wetland loss to satisfy compensatory mitigation requirements of the Section 404 permit.

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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