# Draft General NPDES Permit for Dischargers Within Three Nautical Miles of the Pribilof Islands, Alaska General NPDES Permit No. AK-G52- 7000 > Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more. URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A98-26460 ## Record - **Collection:** Federal Register - **Document type:** Notice - **Published:** October 2, 1998 - **Citation:** 63 FR 53055 ## Text 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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] BILLING CODE 6560-50-P --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/fr%3A98-26460. Public record. Not legal advice.