Projects Include Wastewater Treatment Upgrades, Fish Passage Improvement, and Marine Debris Removal
ANCHORAGE, AK — The Pebble Partnership submitted its final draft Compensatory Mitigation Plan to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for the wetlands impacts associated with its plan to develop a mine at the Pebble Deposit. The draft plan was posted to the USACE website on January 27th, 2020.
In accordance with standard practice, the project team first sought to avoid and minimize wetlands impacts associated with the project. For example, the project changed the design of the proposed port facility and modified road alignments and bridge designs to further avoid or minimize impacts to waters and wetlands.
The next step was to undertake a watershed assessment to determine potential mitigation projects that would consider the needs of the watershed for advancing and sustaining aquatic resource functions, such as the need for specific habitat restoration or water quality improvements. Following a comprehensive review of the watershed, the project team has proposed three initiatives as part of the draft CMP.
The first initiative is a water quality improvement plan focused on improving wastewater management systems in three communities adjacent to the project: Newhalen, Nondalton, and Kokhanok. The projects were identified and prioritized based on information provided in the Indian Health Service and Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium databases and from discussions with the Lake and Peninsula Borough and affected communities.
The second initiative is for the removal of salmon passage barriers to rehabilitate up to 8.5 miles of salmon habitat. During the planning for this initiative, the project team worked with data provided by Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) personnel to identify potential fish passage improvement projects and align the plan’s objective with those of ADF&G’s Fish Passage Improvement Program. Fish passage improvement is one of the areas identified in the Memorandum of Agreement between the USACE and the Environmental Protection Agency as a potential avenue for Compensatory Mitigation. A key focus of the initiative is to rehabilitate stream habitat through the replacement of undersized or damaged culverts.
The third initiative is focused on impacts in the Cook Inlet watershed and proposes to rehabilitate 7.4 miles of coastal habitat in Kamishak Bay. This will be done by removing marine debris, which can include things like containers of waste oil and other contaminants, and nets and ropes that can entangle wildlife, which has accumulated in large amounts on local beaches. The removal of debris will result in ecosystem service benefits to beach habitats in Kamishak Bay and the adjacent marine habitat currently used by marine wildlife.
“Our top priorities for mitigation focused on water and fish so we took a holistic approach to areas impacted by our project and wanted to improve upon existing environmental issues facing the communities closer to the project. Each initiative we are proposing tackles lingering environmental issues that might not otherwise be addressed due to local financial constraints and competing priorities in the area,” said Tom Collier, CEO for the Pebble Partnership.
The next step in the process is for the USACE to review the final draft CMP and set the final mitigation requirements needed for a permit to be issued for the Project. The proposed mitigation projects, should they be approved, would have to be completed prior to undertaking construction of a mine.
Collier noted that the completion of the final draft CMP is one of several milestones the project will pass through the first part of the year. He said that as the USACE finalizes the EIS for the project, stakeholders should look for other permitting milestones such as the initiation of the U.S. Coast Guard permit process for bridge construction, endangered species consultations with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service, and the completion of the pipeline right of way application from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.
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