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

1. Wetland Hydrology
2. Hydrophytic
Vegetation
3. Hydric Soils

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• “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.

For more information, contact:
Andrew D. Smith
SWCA Environmental Consultants
239.470.7868
303.487.1183
asmith@swca.com