Jilian Ladegard, with Northern Star (Pogo) LLC, states that the project purpose is to “improve operational safety at the existing Pogo Mine while maintaining NSR operational efficiencies. The mine requires additional access to underground resources to continue to maintain mine output to the mill. Surface area increases include road construction to reduce surface truck congestion; changing haul road locations to reduce adverse grades; reduce access road turns; provide additional stopping distances for loaded haul trucks; improve sight distances; increase surface storage space for equipment, increase housing, and increase surface rock storage. The additional space is required to reduce congestion, improve safety, and provide space for required mine equipment to dispose of non-mineralized underground rock in surface rock dumps. The airport portal is a new underground access to provide additional access to underground gold resources. The portal pad requires equipment storage space, laydown area, ventilation support, safety equipment storage, and equipment turnaround and work area to allow haul trucks and mine workers in and out of the underground workings.” Work being proposed includes to fill 43.3 acres of Waters of the U.S. (WOUS) (wetlands and ponds) with approximately 1,184,000 cubic yards of clean non-mineralized rock to complete nine operational changes within the Pogo Mine operation for the improvement of infrastructure and safety. All of the proposed work sites and details of wetland impacts per site are listed on sheets 1-2 of the attached project plans “Table 1: NSR Pogo Project Overviews”. The applicant is also proposing to culvert 1,550 feet of Liese Creek at the 1875 Bench project area. The applicant has included that fill material will come from underground sources and no surface material sites are required for fill material. All work would be performed in accordance with the enclosed plan (sheets 1-9), dated May 18, 2020. The project site is located within Sections 23, 26, 27, 34 and 35, T. 5 S., R. 14 E., Fairbanks Meridian; USGS Quad Map Big Delta B-2; Latitude 64.4485º N., Longitude 144.9445º W.; near Delta Junction, Alaska. Please contact Lindsey McCord at (907) 458-1605 or by email at: Lindsey.N.McCord@usace.army.mil if further information is desired concerning this notice.
POA-1996-00211, Goodpaster River_PN