3. Waters of the United States
• Tidal waters and adjacent wetlands
• Non-tidal waters including adjacent
wetlands and certain isolated wetlands.
• Impoundments of waters (e.g. lakes and
ponds)
• Tributaries of waters
4. Streams
AKA…creek, brook, branch, bayou, slough,
ditch, etc.
• Perennial Streams- contain water
throughout the year
• Intermittent (or Ephemeral) Streams-
contain water only part of the year
Both are protected under law
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6.
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15.
16. Definition of “Wetlands”
“Those areas that are inundated or
saturated by surface or ground water at a
frequency and duration sufficient to
support, and that under normal
circumstances, do support, a prevalence
of vegetation typically adapted for life in
saturated soil conditions.”
(Jointly defined by USACE and EPA)
17. What Defines Wetland?
3 Criteria
• Water (hydrology)
• Plants (hydrophytic vegetation)
• Soils (hydric soils)
18. Cowardin Classification System
• Adopted by the USFWS to prepare the
National Wetlands Inventory (NWI)
• Classified wetlands into 5 systems:
– Marine
– Estuarine (salt water/freshwater transition)
– Riverine
– Lacustrine (“lake”)
– Palustrine (“forest”)
19.
20.
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25.
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27.
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29.
30.
31. Wetland Survey and Evaluation
• Wetland Assessment/Determination
– General overview, professional opinion
– Project planning considerations
• Wetland Delineation
– Collect field data
– Survey and impact calculation
• Wetland Functional Assessment
– Rating of functions and values
32. Decision-Making Tools
• National Wetlands Inventory maps
• County/Parish soil surveys
• USGS quadrangles
• Floodplain maps
• Infrared aerial photos
most are available in digital/GIS format
47. Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899
Sections 9 and 10
• Structures in Navigable Waters – piers, docks, oil
rigs, pipelines, power transmission lines, permanently
moored vessels, etc.
• Work in Navigable Waters – dredging or disposal of
dredged material, excavation, filling, or other
modification of a navigable water
48. Section 404 Clean Water Act
• Regulates the discharge of dredged or fill material into
Waters of the U.S.
– Road fills and board roads
– Side-cast from channel deepening
– Dikes and levees
– Drill Pads
– Placement of concrete or riprap for slope
stabilization
49.
50.
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53.
54.
55.
56. Section 404 Permits
• Individual Permits
– Pre-application coordination meeting
– Rigorous alternatives analysis
– Full public interest review and public notice
57. Section 404 Permits (cont.)
• General and Regional Permits
– Issued for a category or categories of
projects which are similar in nature
– Activities cause minimal individual and
cumulative environmental impacts
– Result in avoiding unnecessary regulatory
control by other agencies
58. Section 404 Permits (cont.)
• Nationwide Permits
– Activity-specific
– Involve minor impacts
– Require pre-construction notification (PCN)
– 30-day Corps review period
59. Section 401 Clean Water Act
State Water Quality Certification (DEQ)
– May involve joint coordination with the Corps
– State imposed application/review process
– Often more stringent than federal guidelines
– Not required for coverage under NWPs
