Notice of Application for State Water Quality Certification - Nenana-Totchaket Road

Notice of Application for State Water Quality CertificationPublic Notice (PN) Date: April 12, 2024 PN Reference Number: POA-2022-00555 v1.0 PN Expiration Date: May 5, 2024 Waterway: Nenana 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 from 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 for a public hearing with respect to water quality, submit comments electronically via the DEC public notice site at https://water.alaskadec.commentinput.com?id=ethbUdx2F9 on or before the public notice expiration date listed above.Applicant: Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Kerri Martin, 2301 Peger Road, Fairbanks, AK 99709, (907) 451-5289; kerri.martin@alaska.govProject Name: Nenana-Totchaket Road - Road WideningDates of the proposed activity is planned to begin and end: 07/01/2024 to 11/01/2025 Location: The proposed activity is located within Section 14, 17-23, T. 4S, R. 8W, Fairbanks Meridian, in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska. Section 2, 7, 8, 10-13, 15, 16, T. 4S, R. 9W, Section 11-12, T. 4S, R. 10W and Project Site (Latitude, Longitude): 64.55729, -149.11796.Purpose: The purpose of the proposed project is to widen Totchaket Road and install additional cross-drainage culverts along the roadway. This project is needed to standardize the road width to accommodate an American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standard, 24' driving surface and alleviate seasonal flooding of the roadway due to snow melt through raising of the road elevation in areas experiencing settlement and providing adequate drainage structures for movement of water from one side of the road to the other.At the time of submission of this application, work is underway to replace the bridges crossing the Little Nenana, East Middle, and West Middle Rivers, a project with independent utility from the proposed road widening. Planned future work in the Nenana Basin is restricted to the potential construction of new subdivision roads between parcels sold as part of the Nenana-Totchaket Agriculture Project. Construction of these subdivision roads is not dependent upon the proposed widening of Totchaket Road and may occur even if funding for the proposed road widening is not obtained for the 2024 construction season. Field work for the planned subdivision roads is ongoing and is anticipated to be completed by the end of summer 2024. At this time no related activities are anticipated to be developed as a result of the proposed work detailed in this application.Description of Proposed Work: The existing approximately 12.1 miles of Totchaket Road are proposed to be widened from the current variable 15’-24’ width to a standard 24’ driving surface. Widening of the driving surface of the roadway will result in a widening of the overall footprint of Totchaket Road from approximately 24’ to a maximum extent of approximately 40’. The road widening will be accomplished using the same materials used to construct the original road; sand will be used for the road base and crushed aggregate will be used to surface the road. Road widening in delineated wetlands will be minimized to the furthest extent practicable by filling in uplands when only one side of the road has been delineated as wetland except in cases where fill in wetlands is required in order to maintain road alignment and to account for settling of road embankments adjacent to wetlands. Road embankments will be built at 3:1 for sections of the road that traverse wetlands in order to reduce overall road footprint and to reduce the amount of fill placed in these areas. In addition, the installation of approximately 10 new cross-drainage culverts and replacement of approximately 7 existing cross-drainage culverts is proposed to help alleviate seasonal flooding where the current road alignment bisects wetland features. Newly installed and replacement culverts are anticipated to be 24” diameter corrugated metal pipes. Culvert locations have been determined through site visits during spring break up in 2022 and 2023. Some adjustments to exact culvert locations may be required during construction but are not anticipated to deviate significantly from the locations listed in Figure 15. By adding cross-drainage culverts to the proposed areas, connectivity of wetland complexes will be promoted and siltation of wetlands due to water overtopping the road will be reduced. Temporary work zones are proposed around the ends of each culvert location for equipment access, should it be needed. See Section 404/Waters of the U.S. Involvement for more information on temporary impacts.Material for the proposed project will be contractor furnished. Material is anticipated to be sourced from a combination of sand sources along Totchaket Road and commercially available rock sources near the City of Nenana. The proposed project is anticipated to result in the permanent loss of approximately 1.625 acres (70,806 square feet) of Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) through the placement of approximately 5,326 cubic yards (cy) of sand extracted from existing material sources along Totchaket Road. Permanent impacts to WOTUS will result from widening of the existing Totchaket Road in areas where settlement has occurred and where the road surface is less than the standard 24 feet width.Additionally, the proposed action is anticipated to result in approximately 2.669 acres (116,262 square feet) of temporary impacts to WOTUS. Temporary impacts will result primarily from clearing of vegetation from the toe of the road embankment out approximately 10 feet. Temporary impacts may also result from the need for temporary work zones around the ends of each proposed new and replacement culvert. Temporary work zones will be used in cases where trenchless culvert installation is preferred over closing road access and excavating the road prism for trench installation. Temporary work zones will be established as a 10 feet (W) x 20 feet (L) area extending from the ends on each proposed and known culvert location. Temporary impacts are not anticipated to result in temporary placement of fill material in WOTUS.Additional Information: Previous projects were authorized by the Corps along Totchaket road. They were determined to have independent utility from the proposed road widening and include the replacement of the existing bridges crossing the Little Nenana River, West Middle River, and East Middle River were permitted under POA-2023-00248, POA-2023-00249, and POA-2023-00250 respectively. In addition, work associated with the improvement and stabilization of the section of Totchaket Road crossing 5-Mile Slough was authorized under POA-2023-00091.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. Avoidance: No fueling or maintenance of vehicles or construction equipment will occur within 100’ of wetlands or waterbodies. Construction vehicles will be cleaned of vegetative debris prior to entering the limits of construction to limit the spread of invasive species. Mechanical vegetation clearing activities will be conducted outside of the USFWS recommended timing window for land disturbance and vegetation clearing to avoid take of migratory bird nests within the project area. Minimization: During the process, DOT&PF made efforts to avoid and minimize impacts to WOTUS in the project area to the greatest extent practical through the following measures: Road widening in delineated wetlands will be minimized to the furthest extent practicable by filling in uplands when only one side of the road has been delineated as wetland except in cases where fill in wetlands is required to maintain road alignment and to account for settling of road embankments adjacent to wetlands. Drainage facilities have been designed to maintain, replicate, or improve existing drainage conditions to reduce the likelihood of water overtopping the roadway, leading to sedimentation of adjacent wetlands. Road sideslopes will be constructed with a maximum slope of 3:1 to minimize the overall footprint of the roadway while still ensuring stability of road embankments. A 25’ vegetative buffer beyond temporary work zones/vegetation clearing areas will be maintained in wetland areas along the length of the proposed project area. Vegetation clearing in wetland areas outside of the proposed footprint will be accomplished while soils are frozen or by hand using only low-pressure, wheeled ATVs for access to minimize temporary impacts to wetlands. Mitigation: DOT&PF is not proposing any compensatory mitigation measures at this time. 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. For inquires or to request copies of the documents, contact dec-401cert@alaska.gov, or call 907-269-6285. Disability Reasonable Accommodation NoticeThe 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 Megan Kohler at 907-269-4198 or TDD Relay Service 1-800-770-8973/TTY or dial 711 prior to the expiration date of this public notice to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.[1] Reference submission number: ; Received: