Pebble Partnership submits final draft of mitigation plan
The Pebble Partnership submitted its final draft Compensatory Mitigation Plan to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for the wetlands im- pacts associated with its plan to develop a mine at the Pebble Deposit. The draft plan was posted to the USACE website Jan. 27. 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 de- signs to further avoid or minimize impacts to waters and wetlands. The next step was to undertake a watershed assess- ment to determine potential mitigation projects that would consider the needs of the watershed for ad- vancing and sustaining aquatic resource functions, such as the need for specific habitat restoration or water quality improvements. Following a compre- hensive review of the watershed, the project team has proposed three initiatives as part of the draft CMP. The first initiative is a water quality improve- ment 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 Bor- ough and affected communities. The second initiative is for the removal of salm- on 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 Compensa- tory Mitigation. A key focus of the initiative is to rehabilitate stream habitat through the replace- ment 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 3201 C Street, Suite 505 Anchorage, AK 99503 www.pebblepartnership.com entangle wildlife, which has accumulated in large amounts on local beaches. The removal of debris will result in ecosys- tem service benefits to beach habitats in Kamishak Bay and the adjacent marine habitat currently used by marine wildlife. The next step in the process is for the USACE to review the final draft CMP and set the final mitiga- tion requirements needed for a permit to be issued for the Project. The proposed mitigation projects, should they be approved, would have to be com- pleted prior to undertaking construction of a mine. Details of the draft CMP can be reviewed via the USACE project website at pebbleprojecteis.com More at pebbleprojecteis.com/documents/library ALASKA MINERALS INC. 8121 SCHOON STREET ANCHORAGE, AK 99518
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