The Permit, Fact Sheet and associated documents are available for review. For inquiries or to request copies of documents, contact:

DEC Contact:
Angela Hunt
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
Division of Water
Wastewater Discharge Authorization Program
555 Cordova Street
Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone: (907) 269-7599
Angela.hunt@alaska.gov

Draft Permit Public Notice Period:
Public Notice Start Date: October 13, 2017
Public Notice Expiration Date: November 20, 2017

Permit No.: AKG130000

Permit Name:  Aquaculture Facilities in Alaska General Permit

Proposed Permit Coverage:
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation proposes to issue an APDES statewide general permit for discharges from aquaculture facilities in Alaska. The statewide general permit applies to all concentrated aquatic animal production facilities (Aquaculture Facilities or Hatcheries) in Alaska that produce, hold, or contain 20,000 pounds or more of aquatic animals per year in ponds, raceways, or other similar structures, feed 5,000 pounds or more of food during a calendar month, and discharge at least 30 days per year. The general permit authorizes and sets conditions on the discharge of pollutants from these facilities to waters of the United States. In order to ensure protection of water quality and human health, the permit places limits on the types and amounts of pollutants that can be discharged from these facilities, outlines best management practices to which the facility must adhere, and requires effluent and receiving water monitoring.

Description of Discharge:
Aquaculture facilities may discharge a variety of pollutants generated from uneaten feed, fish feces, fish carcasses, cleaning chemicals, and medications used to treat disease. The main pollutants of concern include total suspended solids, settable solids, pH, ammonia, dissolved oxygen, and chlorine. These pollutants have the potential to contribute to a number of water quality impacts such as increased levels of turbidity and residues, elevated temperatures, and low dissolved oxygen.

Mixing Zone: DEC does not propose mixing zones for discharges from aquaculture facilities.

Zones of Deposit: Applicants may request a facility specific zone of deposit (ZOD). DEC will authorize a ZOD if it is consistent with the Clean Water Act and the ZOD regulations at 18 AAC 70.210

Tentative Determination:
DEC has tentatively determined to issue a discharge permit for the activity described above.

Public Meeting and Hearing
The Department is holding a public meeting/hearing to review the draft permit at the date and time listed below. The public meeting will be held from 5:30 – 6:30 pm and involve a brief presentation summarizing the draft permit and a question and answer period. The public hearing will be held from 6:30 – 8:00 pm and provide the public an opportunity to submit oral comments regarding the draft permit. The public may also submit written comments in lieu of or in addition to providing oral testimony at the hearing. There will be a call-in number if you are not able to attend the meeting in person. The call-in number will be 1-800-315-6338, and the Access Code will be 55135.

Public Meeting:           5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Public Hearing:           6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Date:                           November 13, 2017
Location:                    
Atwood Conference Center, William Egan Room
550 W 7th Avenue
Anchorage, Alaska 99501

Public Comments
Written comments or requests for a public hearing on the APDES draft general permit must be submitted within 38 days of the issuance of this public notice. Please direct written comments to the attention of Angela Hunt at the address or email identified above. All comments should include the name, address, and telephone number of the commenter and a concise statement of comment on the permit condition(s) and the relevant facts upon which the comment is based. Comments of either support or concern which are directed at specific, cited permit requirements are appreciated. Mailed comments must be postmarked on or before the expiration date of the public notice.

DEC will consider all comments when making the final decision, and will respond to received comments in a Response to Comments document issued when DEC issues a final permit. The Response to Comments will be made available to the public.

Any interested person may submit a written request for a public hearing if no hearing has already been scheduled. A request for a public hearing shall state the nature of the issues to be raised, as well as the requester's name, address and telephone number. DEC will hold a public hearing whenever DEC finds, on the basis of requests, a significant degree of public interest in a draft permit. DEC may also hold a public hearing if a hearing might clarify one or more issues involved in a permit decision or for other good reason in DEC’s discretion.

DEC will transmit the final permit, fact sheet (amended as appropriate), and Response to Comments to anyone who provided comments during the public review period or requested to be notified of DEC final decision.

DEADLINE FOR WRITTEN COMMENTS OR REQUEST FOR PUBLIC HEARING November 20 at 5:00 p.m. ADT

Administrative Record:
The APDES draft permit, fact sheet, and associated documents are available for public review at the ADEC offices located in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Soldotna, and Wasilla. Please contact the office of your choice to arrange for hard copies of the documents to be available for your review.

555 Cordova Street               610 University Avenue                       410 Willoughby Ave #303
Anchorage, AK 99501          Fairbanks, AK 99709                        Juneau, AK 99811
907-269-6285                   907-451-2100                                907-465-5300

If you would like to see any additional supporting technical documents, contact the Angela Hunt

The documents are also accessible from the DEC website at:
http://www.dec.state.ak.us/water/wwdp/index.htm

To receive email notifications about the APDES Program, including when permits are available to review, follow the link below to join the APDES email list.
http://dec.alaska.gov/water/npdes/npdes_email_list.htm

Disability Reasonable Accommodation Notice
The State of Alaska, Department of Environmental Conservation complies with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If you are a person with a disability who may need a special accommodation in order to participate in this public process, please contact Natalie Wolfe at (907) 269-0291 or TDD Relay Service 1-800-770-8973/TTY or dial 711 within 30 days of publication of this notice to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.