Public comment on new Nome-area suction dredge application closes Aug. 18

Alaskans have until 5 p.m. on Aug. 18 to comment on a new suction dredging application in the waters off Nome.

Carl Fowler and Phillip Diaz applied for a permit to dredge in the Norton Sound Public Recreation Area, according to the public notice the Alaska Department of Natural Resources published Aug. 5 for APMA F20262167. The notice's legal description covers Sections 27, 28, 34 and 36 of Township 11 South, Range 34 West, Kateel River Meridian, plus Section 31 of Township 11 South, Range 33 West, Kateel River Meridian. The proposed work would run from the date any authorization is issued through Dec. 31, 2026.

The Fowler-Diaz notice does not state dredge size, discharge volume or expected effects. The application behind it does, and it is a public record at the same office taking comments. It describes a single diver-operated dredge on a 30-by-13-foot boat, working an 8-inch intake nozzle at a processing rate of 5 cubic yards per hour, discharging 1,250 gallons per minute, in water up to 50 feet deep, eight hours a day. Fowler and Diaz list an average of six workers and a season running May 15 to Oct. 15, operating out of Nome city harbor. They applied under the state's general permit for medium-size suction dredges, those with nozzles larger than 6 inches and up to 10, rather than the Norton Sound large dredge permit.

The application's reclamation plan is two words, "fan tailings." Asked how the operation would avoid harm to fish, wildlife and cultural resources, the applicants wrote that they would stay away from spawning beds and avoid fish and marine life.

The filing lands in the same mining district where the state recently denied a separate, heavily opposed project. DNR denied IPOP LLC's application for the Bonanza Channel Placer/Dredging Project in Safety Sound near the Village of Solomon. The denial rested on the public trust doctrine, citing obstruction of navigation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers findings of more than minimal detrimental effects on aquatic resources. The Fowler-Diaz notice does not indicate whether public trust concerns apply here.

Written comments go to Willow-Creek Feighery at the Fairbanks Mine Permitting Office, 3700 Airport Way. The notice also gives an email address for comments, [email protected].