Noatak airport comment window closes August 6 as DEC weighs river permit

Residents and subsistence users in the Noatak River watershed have until August 6 to comment on a state water quality certification that stands between the Noatak Airport Relocation project and its federal construction permits. Without the certification, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cannot issue the Section 404 permit the project needs to proceed.

The relocation is driven by accelerating riverbank erosion. William Stamm described the threat at a May 2026 infrastructure discussion: "It's threatening both the airport, the fuel storage, the power plant, the water supply for that community." For roughly eight months of the year, the airstrip is the only way materials reach the community.

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation opened the 30-day comment window on July 7, following a Corps public notice issued July 5. The Alaska Department of Transportation proposes to excavate roughly 698,073 cubic yards of gravel from a Noatak River bar two miles downstream, permanently affecting 164.94 acres of wetlands, with discharges into 87.44 acres of waters of the United States. No compensatory mitigation is proposed. Construction is planned from May 2026 through October 2028.

After reviewing comments, DEC may certify the project, certify it with conditions, deny certification, or waive it. Comments must reach DEC's Division of Water before August 6, 2026.