Notice of Application for State Water Quality Certification – POA-2020-00525 v1.0 Tongass Narrows, Jill Cowan – Jill and Andy Cowan's home site

Notice of Application for State Water Quality Certification Public Notice (PN) Date : July 16, 2026 PN Reference Number : POA-2020-00525 v1.0 PN Expiration Date : August 17, 2026 Waterway : Tongass Narrows Any applicant for a federal license or permit to conduct an activity that might result in a discharge into waters of the United States, in accordance with Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), must also apply for and obtain certification from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation that the discharge will comply with the CWA and the Alaska Water Quality Standards (18 AAC 70). The scope of certification is limited to the water quality-related impacts of the activity subject to the Federal license or permit (40 CFR 121.3, 18 AAC 15.180). Notice is hereby given that a request for a CWA §401 Water Quality Certification of a Department of the Army Permit application, Corps of Engineers’ PN Reference Number indicated above, has been received [1] for the discharge of dredged and/or fill materials into waters of the United States (WOTUS), including wetlands, as described below, and shown on the project figures/drawings. The public notice and related project figures/drawings are accessible from the DEC website at https://dec.alaska.gov/water/wastewater/ . To comment on the project or request a public hearing with respect to water quality, submit comments via ( preferred method ) DEC website https://dec.alaska.gov/commish/public-notices/ or email to the DEC email address: DEC-401Cert@alaska.gov with the subject line referencing Public Notice Reference Number: POA-2020-00525 v1.0 or on or before the public notice expiration date listed above. Applicant : Jill Cowan, 147 Pond Reef Road, Ketchikan, AK 99901, (907) 254-0206; jillccowan@yahoo.com Project Name : lot 5B USS 3152 – Cowan's Home Site Dates of the proposed activity are planned to begin and end : 07/16/2026 to 07/31/2026 Location : The proposed activity is located within Section na, T. Ketchikan, R. na, Copper River Meridian, in Ketchikan Gateway Borough, Alaska. 31353002300. Project Site (Latitude, Longitude): 55.445900, -131.80920. Purpose : The applicant’s stated purpose is to have a clear area to gain access to the rear of the house for general maintenance. Description of Proposed Work : The applicant proposes to excavate approximately 1,200 cubic yards of rock and 350 cubic yards of soil from a 0.041-acre of palustrine wetlands in the northwest corner of the property and discharge approximately 1,550 cubic yards of that material into 0.082 acres of palustrine wetlands along the southern edge of the property to create a flat yard space in front of the existing house pad. Applicant Proposed Mitigation : The applicant proposes the following mitigation measures to avoid, minimize, and compensate for impacts to waters of the United States from activities involving discharges of dredged or fill material. Avoidance : The applicant states there is no design alternative completely avoiding waters of the United States (U.S.). Also, there are no parcels available to purchase and develop that would meet the purpose and need of the project and have less impacts to waters of the U.S. Minimization : The proposed excavation and fill area is in direct contact with an already developed building pad. Access to the proposed excavation and fill site would not impact anymore wetlands other than the proposed fill area. Mitigation : The applicant believes that compensatory mitigation is not necessary for unavoidable impacts to waters of the U.S. due to the small footprint of the proposed fill area and the impact would be no more than a typical residential home development within Ketchikan. After reviewing the application, the Department will evaluate whether the activity will comply with applicable water quality requirements (any limitation, standard, or other requirement under sections 301, 302, 306, and 307 of the CWA, any Federal and state laws or regulations implementing those sections, and any other water quality-related requirement of state law). The Department may certify (or certify with conditions) with reasonable assurance the activity and any discharge that might result will comply with water quality requirements. The Department also may deny or waive certification. The permit application and associated documents are available for review. To inquire about or request copies of the documents, contact dec-401cert@alaska.gov or call 907-269-6285. Disability Reasonable Accommodation Notice: The State of Alaska, Department of Environmental Conservation, complies with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. If you are a person with a disability who may need special accommodation in order to participate in this public process, please contact ADA Coordinator Kristin Mabry, kristin.mabry@alaska.gov , 1-907-334-0884; or TDD Relay Service 1-800-770-8973/TTY or dial 711 at least 3 days prior to the expiration/closure date of this public notice to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided. ------------------------- cc: (with encl.) Leah Barrett, USACE R10 – 401 Cert EPA Kate Kanouse, ADF&G; USFWS Field Office Juneau Matthew LaCroix, EPA AK Operations ak_fisheries@fws.gov regpagemaster@usace.army.mil [1] Reference submission number: HQP-XEK9-ZJ2E8; Received: 7/16/2026 7:39:07 AM Attachments, History, Details Attachments 1. Water Quality Certification Request.pdf 2. Figure 1.pdf 3. Figure 2.pdf Revision History Created 7/16/2026 2:43:36 PM by jfrintala Modified 7/16/2026 2:45:06 PM by jfrintala

• 2. Figure 1.pdf

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• 3. Figure 2.pdf

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• 1. Water Quality Certification Request.pdf

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• Contact
  dec-401cert@alaska.gov