Alaska miners have until Aug. 3 to comment on statewide suction dredge discharge permit

A public comment window is open until Aug. 3 at 11:59 p.m. AKDT on a draft state permit that would set discharge rules for medium-sized suction dredge placer mining operations across Alaska. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation opened the notice period July 1.

The permit, designated AKG371000 and titled the Medium Suction Dredge Placer Miners General Permit under the Alaska Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, covers suction dredges with intake diameters greater than six inches and up to ten inches. The permit authorizes a standard mixing zone for dischargers, a provision that allows a defined area of dilution around a discharge point before water-quality standards must be fully met.

Miners, tribal governments, subsistence users, and anyone else with a stake in how Alaska streams are managed can submit written comments or request a public hearing before the deadline. DEC says it will hold a hearing if it finds significant public interest.

How to Comment

Nick Dallman, the designated DEC contact at the Fairbanks office, is the point of contact for the permit. The draft permit, fact sheet, permit application, and associated documents are available for public review at DEC offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Soldotna, and Wasilla.