Background
United Consulting has over ten years of experience providing a full range of wetland and stream evaluation services. We have successfully completed hundreds of projects in the Southeast requiring various levels of wetland services. These services include field delineations, permitting, mitigation planning, and mitigation implementation and monitoring.
Applicability
The current Federal wetland regulations often require site evaluation and permit coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Evaluation and compliance with these wetland regulations should be handled during the early planning stages to reduce impacts on site development and minimize time and monetary losses. The current regulations can require prior review and approval for even very minor disturbances to wetlands and streams. United Consulting’s continual consultation with the USACE and review of the Federal Register and Public Notice reports enables us to keep up with the frequent changes in the regulations. In addition, state and local regulations concerning the protection of streams and other aquatic resources (state waters) can be more limiting than the federal regulations. Early identification of these areas reduce design and permitting costs.
Procedures
United Consulting conducts field investigations and delineations for wetlands and other jurisdictional waters of the U.S. utilizing the USACE 1987 Wetland Delineation Manual. The 1987 manual outlines the currently accepted federal method for the delineation of wetlands. For an area to be classified as a wetland, the area must exhibit characteristics that satisfy criteria within the following three parameters: a dominance of wetland vegetation, physical evidence of wetland hydrology, and indications of hydric soils. Other jurisdictional waters of the U.S. include areas such as; lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams. The limits of the jurisdictional waters are flagged in the field and can be field located using GPS Technology.
Upon completion of the field delineation, United Consulting will coordinate with the project surveyors and planners to evaluate potential disturbance to the wetlands and other jurisdictional waters, which are regulated by the USACE through Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Under most conditions, the disturbance and placement of fill material in these areas requires prior authorization from the USACE. The current federal wetland permit program allows for minor impacts to occur to jurisdictional waters of the U.S. The use and applicability of the permits is dependent upon the type and size of the proposed activity. United Consulting will prepare and submit the appropriate permit documents for review by the USACE. If mitigation is required to off-set the proposed impacts, United Consulting will prepare the mitigation plan, implement the mitigation, and monitor the long-term conditions of the mitigation area. We also provide field identification of state waters and frequently consult with local jurisdictions concerning this issue. State and local regulations typically restrict development within certain distances from state waters. We can prepare or assist with the preparations of the variance application, which is required to obtain approval for encroachment into designated state water buffers.
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