RAPID/Roadmap/18-AK-c
Alaska Waste Disposal Permit (18-AK-c)
- disposal or discharge of solid waste
- disposal or discharge of liquid waste
- discharge of heated or cooling water onto the land
- discharge of heated or cooling water into water
ADEC may approve an individual permit or a general permit. A general permit is issued on a statewide, regional or other geographic basis. General permits are appropriate for activities that are similar enough in nature that multiple individual permits are unnecessary.
Geothermal drilling wastes are regulated in the same manner as oil and gas drilling wastes.
Most geothermal projects in Alaska dispose of their waste in established off-site facilities, which does not require a permit.
Temporary Storage Plan Approval Process
The most common method of disposing of geothermal drilling waste is utilizing a Temporary Storage Plan Approval process. A developer must submit a Storage Plan to ADEC no later than 30 days before operations are planned to begin. The plan must include:
- The name, address, telephone number, and affiliation of each person responsible for conducting the drilling activity;
- The location and type of each storage container;
- Plans and material specifications to be used in the construction of each lined containment structure to be used for temporary storage;
- Methods to be used to prevent the discharge of drilling waste or leachate to the land or water of the state;
- The name and location of each facility to which stored drilling waste will be transferred;
- The anticipated dates of storage and waste removal;
- The location of the ultimate disposal of the drilling waste; and
- Certification that the waste will be removed from the property not later than one year after the date of issuance of the approval.
Alaska Admin. Code tit. 18 § 60.430
Non-municipal landfills, also known as monofills, are classified and regulated according to the type(s) of waste they receive. Since the requirements for landfill design, operations, monitoring, and closure vary depending on the type(s) of waste accepted, many non-municipal landfills choose to accept only one type of waste.
Permit applications for monofills, industrial waste landfills, and others can be found on the Solid Waste Program’s webpage.
Waste Disposal Permit Process
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18-AK-c.1 - Did EPA issue a NPDES permit that is state certified?
Alaska has a process to waive the Waste Disposal Permit when the NPDES permit process covers the same waste. When a NPDES permit is in place and ADEC has certified the existing permit, the applicant may apply for a waiver. There is no formal application process, rather ADEC reviews the preexisting permit to determine whether a waiver is appropriate.
The EPA only recently delegated NPDES authority to Alaska, so the statute revers to EPA's determination to grant a NPDES permit that is later certified by ADEC. In the near future, this process will require amendment, given EPA will no longer be granting the NPDES permits.
For further reference, please see the Alaska NPDES flowchart:
Alaska Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit:
14-AK-b
18-AK-c.2 - Review NPDES permit for waiver eligibility
During the review, ADEC may need information from the application to ensure the activities covered by the NPDES permit are the same as the activities that would be covered under a waste disposal permit.
18-AK-c.3 - Does ADEC waive the permit requirement?
If ADEC decides to waive the permit requirement, a waiver will be processed in favor of the developer. Otherwise, the developer must go through the formal application process.
18-AK-c.4 - Waiver
The waiver is a written record of ADEC's determination that the NPDES permit satisfies the waste disposal permit requirement.
18-AK-c.5 - Waste Disposal Permit Application
Both individual and general permits are available. Applicants may request a general permit or coverage under an existing general permit. ADEC may issue a general permit when it deems necessary.
The application should contain the following information:
- Name and address of the applicant;
- Description of the applicant's operations;
- The quantity and type of waste material sought to be disposed of;
- The proposed method of disposal; and
- Any other information considered necessary by the department.
18-AK-c.6 - Publish public notice
Once an application is accepted, ADEC must publish notice of the application or the availability of the draft permit for comment. Notice must be published in at least two publications of a newspaper distributed in the locality of the proposed waste disposal facility. The notice must also be posted on the Alaska Online Public Notice System. ADEC must post the application or draft permit online for public review during the comment period.
18-AK-c.7 - Public comment period
Comments must be made in writing within 30 days after the first publication of the notice.
18-AK-c.8 - Notify interested commissioners
ADEC must forward copies of the application or proposal to interested commissioners. The interested commissioners include:
- commissioner of fish and game;
- commissioner of natural resources;
- commissioner of commerce, community and economic development; and
- commissioner of health and social services.
18-AK-c.9 - Review application and agency/public comments
ADEC must consider the application and all of the comments from the other agencies as well as the public. ADEC may impose any reasonable terms and conditions on the permit to mitigate the concerns expressed during the comment period.
18-AK-c.10 - Waste Disposal Permit
The permit may be issued for no more than five years.
Contact Information
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Regulations
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Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation
Waste Disposal Permitting Contact
907.269.7590
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