Draft General NPDES Permit for Dischargers Within Three Nautical Miles of the Pribilof Islands, Alaska General NPDES Permit No. AK-G52- 7000

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6171-4]

Draft General NPDES Permit for Dischargers Within Three Nautical

Miles of the Pribilof Islands, Alaska General NPDES Permit No. AK-G52-

7000

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of draft General NPDES Permit, and notice of finding of

no significant impact.

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SUMMARY: The Director, Office of Water, EPA Region 10, is proposing to

issue a general National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

permit no. AK-G52-7000 for seafood processors within three nautical

miles of the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, and the city of St. Paul,

Pribilof Islands, Alaska, pursuant to the provisions of the Clean Water

Act (CWA), 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq. The proposed general NPDES permit

will authorize discharges from seafood processing facilities

discharging through stationary outfalls on St. Paul and St. George

Islands, from the city of St. Paul's wastewater treatment system, and

from mobile seafood processing vessels discharging within the three

nautical miles of the Pribilof Islands.

The seafood processing facilities and mobile vessels are engaged in

the processing of fresh and frozen seafoods, including crab, halibut,

and sea snails. Discharges authorized by the proposed permit include

processing wastes, process disinfectants, sanitary wastewater and other

wastewaters, including cooling water, boiler water, gray water,

freshwater pressure relief water, refrigeration condensate, water used

to transfer seafood to a facility, and live tank water. The proposed

permit will authorize discharges to waters of the United States in and

contiguous to the State of Alaska.

The proposed general NPDES permit for seafood processors

discharging within the Pribilof Island coastal zone will not authorize

discharges from the processing of fish mince, paste, fillets, or meal.

The proposed permit will not authorize discharges of petroleum

hydrocarbons, toxic pollutants, or other pollutants not specified in

the permit.

The city of St. Paul collects domestic and sanitary wastes and

wastewaters which are treated in a series of septic tanks before

discharge into one of the stationary outfalls. The discharge from the

city's system commingles with seafood wastes when processing is being

done.

A draft NPDES permit, fact sheet, and other documents of the

administrative record are available upon request.

PUBLIC NOTICE ISSUANCE DATE: October 2, 1998.

PUBLIC NOTICE EXPIRATION DATE: November 2, 1998.

PUBLIC COMMENTS: Interested persons may submit written comments on the

draft general NPDES permit to the attention of Florence Carroll at the

address below. All comments should include the name, address, and

telephone number of the commenter and a concise statement of comment

and the relevant facts upon which it is based. Comments of either

support or concern which are directed at specific, cited permit

requirements are appreciated. Comments must be submitted to EPA on or

before the expiration date of the public notice.

After the expiration date of the public notice, the Director,

Office of Water, EPA Region 10, will make a final determination with

respect to issuance of the general permit. The tentative requirements

contained in the draft general permit will become final upon issuance

if no substantive comments are received during the public comment

period.

Persons wishing to comment on State Certification of the proposed

general NPDES permit should contact the State of Alaska, Alaska

Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), Watershed Management

Section, Attn: Robert Dolan, 555 Cordova Street, Anchorage, Alaska,

99501.

Persons wishing to comment on the State Determination of

Consistency with the Alaska Coastal Management Program should contact

the State of Alaska, Southcentral Regional Office, Office of Management

and Budget, Division of Governmental Coordination, 3601 ``C'' Street,

Suite 370, Anchorage, Alaska 99503-2798.

Persons wishing to comment on the EPA Finding of No Significant

Impact (FNSI), based on the environmental assessment, should submit

written comments within this 30 day period. All comments should include

the name, address and telephone number of the commenter and a concise

statement of the basis of any comment and the relevant facts upon which

it is based. Comments should be submitted to Rick Seaborne,

Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10, OW-136, 1200 Sixth Avenue,

Seattle, Washington, 98101.

PUBLIC HEARING: No public hearings have been scheduled. Persons

requesting a public hearing should submit their request to Florence

Carroll at the address below. Notice of a public hearing will be

published in the Federal Register. Notices will also be mailed to all

interested persons receiving copies of the proposed permit.

ADMINISTRATIVE RECORD: The complete administrative record for the draft

permit is available for public review at the EPA Region 10 Library,

10th Floor, at the address listed below. Copies of the draft general

NPDES permit, fact sheet, the environmental assessment, the biological

assessment, and the Pribilof Ocean Discharge Criteria Evaluation are

available upon request from the Region 10 Public Environmental Resource

Center at 1-800-424-4EPA (4372) (within Region 10 only) or (206) 553-

1200 or by e-mail to ``[email protected]''.

ADDRESSES: Public comments should be sent to: Environmental Protection

Agency Region 10, NPDES Compliance Unit (OW-133), 1200 Sixth Avenue,

Seattle, Washington, 98101.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Florence Carroll, of EPA Region 10, at

the address listed above or telephone (206) 553-1760 or e-mail

``[email protected]''.

REGULATORY FLEXIBILITY ACT: Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA),

5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., a Federal agency must prepare an initial

regulatory flexibility analysis ``for any proposed rule'' for which the

agency ``is required by section 553 of (the Administrative Procedure

Act (APA)), or any other law, to publish general notice of proposed

rulemaking.'' The RFA exempts from this requirement any rule that the

issuing agency certifies ``will not, if promulgated, have a significant

economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.'' EPA has

concluded that NPDES general permits are permits under the APA and thus

not subject to APA rulemaking requirements or the RFA. Notwithstanding

that general permits are not subject to the RFA, EPA has determined

that this general permit, if issued, will not have

[[Page 53056]]

a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small

entities.

Authority: Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.

Dated: September 24, 1998.

Philip G. Millam,

Director, Office of Water.

Finding of No Significant Impact (FNSI)

To All Interested Government Agencies, Public Groups, and

Individuals:

In accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

procedures for complying with the National Environmental Policy Act, 40

CFR part 6, EPA has conducted an environmental review of the following

proposed action:

Reissuance of general National Pollutant Discharge Elimination

System (NPDES) Permit No. AK-G52-7000, to authorize discharge of

seafood processing wastes by owners and operators of facilities, both

mobile and shore-based, engaged in the processing of seafood within

three nautical miles of the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, and to authorize

discharge from the City of St. Paul, Pribilof Islands, Alaska,

Wastewater Treatment System.

The general NPDES permit would authorize, subject to the stated

limitations, conditions, and requirements, seafood processing

discharges from moored floating or mobile barges and other vessels

discharging through stationary outfalls on St. Paul and St. George

Islands, and discharges from mobile vessels operating within 3 nmi of

St. Paul, St George, or Otter Island, except in the vicinity of

critical habitat, as specified. The general NPDES permit would also

authorize a discharge from the City of St. Paul wastewater treatment

system through a stationary outfall. The permit Fact Sheet describes

the basis for the permit provisions.

EPA previously issued, in 1996, the interim Pribilof Islands

Seafood Processors General NPDES Permit (the ``interim general

permit''). Prior to issuance of the interim general permit, EPA

prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA), Biological Assessment (BA),

and Ocean Discharge Criteria Evaluation (ODCE). Based on these

evaluations, EPA determined that collection of additional information

was warranted, but that the permit could be issued on an interim basis

without the permitted activities resulting in irreparable harm to the

marine environment. The interim general permit was issued for a period

of two years to allow time to collect additional field data.

The 1996 interim general permit expired in February 1998, but has

been administratively extended. EPA proposes to reissue the general

permit based on the new information. As a result of the new

information, EPA has prepared a new EA, BA, and ODCE. The EA (and

supporting BA and ODCE documentation), and the proposed permit

conditions, provide the basis for this FNSI.

In accordance with the guidelines for determining the significance

of federal actions (40 CFR 1508.27) and EPA criteria for initiating an

environmental impact statement (EIS) (40 CFR 6.605), EPA has concluded

that reissuance of this general NPDES permit will not result in a

significant effect on the human environment. This action will not

significantly affect land use patterns or population, wetlands or

floodplains, threatened or endangered species, farmlands, ecologically

critical areas, historic resources, air quality, water quality, noise

levels, fish and wildlife resources, nor will it conflict with approved

local, regional, or state land use plans or policies. For the above

reasons EPA has determined that an EIS will not be prepared.

Comments supporting or disagreeing with this FNSI may be submitted

to the following address for consideration: Rick Seaborne,

Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10, 1200 Sixth Avenue, OW-136,

Seattle, Washington 98101.

A copy of the EA may also be obtained by writing to the above

address, or calling (206) 553-8510.

After evaluating the comments received, EPA will make a final

decision. No administrative action will be taken on the proposed permit

for at least 30 days after the release date (indicated above) of this

FNSI. EPA will fully consider all comments received during this public

notice period before taking final action.

Dated: September 24, 1998.

Philip G. Millam,

Director, Office of Water.

[FR Doc. 98-26460 Filed 10-1-98; 8:45 am]

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