The City of Soldotna is considering allocating $60,000 to get a permit to stay compliant with the Department of Environmental Conservation’s regulations on water discharge into the Kenai River.
The Alaska National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for Soldotna expired in 2005. Mayor Peter Sprague says since then the city has been negotiating and corresponding with the DEC.
Mayor Sprague: “There’s some questions the city has raised about the renewal of our permit and what the administration is asking the council to do is appropriate $60,000 to contract with a consultant to help us work with the state and with the feds to facilitate renewing this permit.”
The questions from the city involve the copper and zinc levels in the water being discharged into the Kenai River. In a letter dated 2014, the DEC recommended that Soldotna partner with an agency to investigate how those elements being discharged into the river might affect it.
The $60,000 up for allocation by the Soldotna City Council would cover an evaluation of the process used to find Water Effect Ratios, finding a mixing model of the city’s discharge into the river, and ultimately a technical report.
The ordinance to allocate that funding is up for public comment and approval by council tonight. A resolution to enter into a contract with HDR Alaska to perform the services for no more than $60,000 will also be introduced.
