Transcript Wetland 404 Permitting - Public Lands Advocacy

Clean Water Act Section 404:
An O&G Perspective
Andrew D. Smith
SWCA Environmental Consultants
Projects in Waters of the US
Regulations/Permits
• Clean Water Act
– Section 404 – Army Corps Permit
– Section 401 – State Certification
• River and Harbors Act
– Section 10 – Army Corps
Jurisdictional Waters of the U.S.
• Surface waters such as
– Rivers, streams, and
their tributaries
– Wetlands adjacent to
these waters
– Ponds, lakes, and
reservoirs
– Arroyos
Jurisdictional Wetlands
1. Wetland Hydrology
2. Hydrophytic
Vegetation
3. Hydric Soils
Jurisdictional Waters of the U.S.
Non-jurisdictional Waters
•
•
•
•
Isolated wetlands
Swales
Ditches
Significant nexus
Typical Activities Requiring Permits
•
•
•
•
Construction of access roads
Construction of well pads
Pipeline crossings
Placement of riprap or channel
protection
• Construction of ponds, dams, dikes, or
weirs
Example Activities Requiring
Permits
Wetland Delineations
• Project scheduling and timing
– May be seasonal restrictions (winter, growing
season
• Locating and siting wetlands
– Blue and white area on USGS maps could be
waters of the U.S.
• Delineate the wetland
– Jurisdictional determination
– Map and document
Section 404 Permitting
• Avoid or minimize project impacts to
wetlands
• Quantify unavoidable impacts
< 0.5 acre – Nationwide Permit
> 0.5 acre – Individual Permit
• Mitigate impacts > 0.1 acre
Nationwide Permits
• For common activities with minimal
wetland/waters of the U.S. impacts
• Typical NWPs applicable to O&G activity
– NWP 12: Utility Line Activities
– NWP 14: Linear Transportation Projects
– NWP 27: Stream and Wetland Restoration
Activities
Individual Permits
• For projects > 0.5 acre impacts to wetlands
or other waters of the U.S. or > 300 linear
feet of streambed fill
• Public review of permit application
– 15 to 30 day public comment period
• Mitigation plan and implementation required
• Generally take 4 to 6 months for approval
Nationwide Permits
• Submit Preconstruction Notification (PCN)
–
–
–
–
–
Permittee contact info
Project description, location, purpose
Quantify unavoidable wetland impacts
Other environmental impacts
Maps, photos
• Corps has 45 days to respond to PCN
• “The prospective permittee shall not begin the
activity…Unless 45 days have passed from the District
Engineer’s receipt of the complete notification.”
• NWPs may take 90 days to process if mitigation required
Mitigation
• “No net loss” of wetlands
– Typically 1:1 mitigation ratio in Colorado
– Varies depending on habitat value, quality
– “After-the-fact” typically higher ratio
• Restoration
• Creation
• Enhancement
• Mitigation bank guidance
Mitigation Aspects
and Costs
•
•
•
•
Planning
Construction
Annual Monitoring
Maintenance
Army Corps must sign
off on completed
mitigation
(Typically 3 to 5
years for
success)
Wetland
Enhancement
and Restoration
Wetland Mitigation Site
Adams County, Colorado
2003 - Baseline Photo
2005 – Same Location After Wetland
Creation
We obtained Corps of Engineers sign-off of the mitigation
at this site only 2 years after implementation.
Compliance
Compliance
Questions?
For more information, contact:
Andrew D. Smith
SWCA Environmental Consultants
239.470.7868
303.487.1183
[email protected]