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EPA Issues New Permits For Alaska Log Transfer Facilities
Release Date: 3/7/2000
Contact Information: Kelly Huynk
[email protected]
(206) 553-8414
March 7, 2000 - - - - - - - - - - 00-17
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued two National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) general permits for Alaskan log transfer facilities (LTFs). These permits become effective March 21, 2000.
The permits authorize the discharge of bark and wood debris, as well as the incidental discharge of petroleum products and sediment, into both near-shore and offshore marine waters in Alaska (from the Alexander Archipelago west through central Gulf of Alaska and Prince William Sound to Kodiak Island). Permitted facilities are also required to develop and implement pollution prevention plans and to restrict their discharges to inside the perimeter of their delineated “project area.” Additional controls will be required if annual monitoring shows that one acre of continuous coverage and deposits 10 cm or greater at any point are exceeded.
“These permits not only contain Best Management Practices, but require certain facilities to gather environmental monitoring data.” said Robert Robichaud, EPA Region 10 NPDES Permits Manager.
Responding to public comment, EPA issued two different permits to acknowledge the differences between facilities permitted prior to October 22, 1985 and those operating with permits issued after that date.
The LTFs with permits issued prior to October 22, 1985 are automatically covered on March 21, 2000 under the pre-1985 general permit and shall operate under the conditions of the old permit as well as the new general permit. These facilities must notify the EPA that they are still in operation.
The LTFs not possessing a permit prior to October 22, 1985 will be authorized to discharge under the post-1985 general permit only after they file a Notice Of Intent for coverage with the EPA and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), and/or they receive a notification of permit coverage from the EPA. The EPA has the option to automatically cover these facilities without receiving the Notice of Intent application.
Furthermore, log transfer facilities requesting coverage under the post-1985 general permit will not be allowed to discharge in the following areas:
1. Within any State Game Sanctuary, Game Refuge, or Critical Habitat Area;
2. Within any National Monument;
3. Within the Port Graham/English Bay Area which Merits special Attention;
4. Within any State Park, without written authorization from the State Park Superintendent;
5. Within any unit of the National Park System, National Historic Landmark, or National Natural Landmark, without written authorization from the Park Superintendent (for National Parks) or Program Coordinator (for National Historic or Natural Landmarks);
6. Within any National Wildlife Refuge, without written permission from the Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) or a delegated representative;
7. Within one nautical mile of any major Steller sea lion haul-out or rookery site, or within any Steller sea lion “Critical habitat Area” defined in 58 FR 45269, without written permission from the Regional Director of the National Marine Fisheries Services; and
8. Within waters surrounding the Kodiak or Afognak Islands if in consultation with the USFWS it is determined that the discharge effects the wintering activities of the Steller’s eider.
Please note that with written authorization from the appropriate agency, facilities can still discharge from numbers 4 through 8.
BACKGROUND
EPA proposed and solicited comments on the draft general permit and convened a two-day meeting with all commenters on March 11 and 12, 1997, in order to clarify those comments received and allow commenters to hear each other’s concerns.
Changes have been made from the draft permit to the final permits in response to comments received from facility representatives, tribal representatives, concerned citizens, environmental groups, the U.S. Forest Service, USFWS, and the State of Alaska. The changes address the zone of deposit, the bark accumulation threshold for requiring additional Pollution Prevention practices, methodology for bark monitoring surveys, the areas excluded from permit coverage, and administrative corrections. In response to comments received, EPA also separated the permit into the pre-1985 permit and the post-1985 permit.
For further information or copies of the general NPDES permits, supporting fact sheet for the draft general NPDES permit, response to public comments documents, and/or Federal Register publication contact Burney Hill, with the EPA, at 206/553-1761. Copies of the general NPDES permits and response to comments documents can also be found by visiting the Region 10 web site at www.epa.gov/r10earth/water.htm.
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