A fact sheet and associated documents are available for review. For inquiries or to request copies of documents, contact:

DEC Contact
Tim Pilon
610 University Avenue
Fairbanks, AK 99709
(907) 451-2136           
tim.pilon@alaska.gov

Draft Permit Public Notice Period

Public Notice Start: March 23, 2018

Public Notice Expiration: April 23, 2018

Permit Number: AK0053643

Applicant
Fairbanks Gold Mining, Incorporated
1 Fort Knox Road
P.O. Box 73729
Fairbanks, AK 99707-3726

Proposed Project and Location
The Fort Knox Mine is owned and operated Fairbanks Gold Mining, Incorporated, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kinross Gold Corporation. Fort Knox is an open pit gold mine located 25 miles northwest of Fairbanks, Alaska. The permit reissuance proposes to authorize two outfalls for the discharge of treated mine wastewater into the Old Fish Creek Channel, an ephemeral stream that flows into the constructed freshwater reservoir under APDES permit AK0053643.

Tentative Determination:
DEC has tentatively determined to reissue a discharge permit to the above listed applicant.

Public Comments
Written comments or requests for a public hearing on the APDES draft permit must be submitted within 30 days of the issuance of this public notice. Please direct written comments and requests to the attention of Tim Pilon 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 that are directed at specific, cited permit requirements are appreciated. Mailed comments and requests 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 April 23, 2018 at 5:00 p.m.

Administrative Record
The APDES draft permit, fact sheet, permit application, and associated documents are available for public review at the DEC offices located in Anchorage and Fairbanks. 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
Anchorage, AK 99501                                         Fairbanks, AK 99709
907-269-6285                                                  907-451-2100

If you would like further information or to see any additional supporting technical documents, contact Tim Pilon.

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.