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We help protect wetlands and waterways by reviewing and approving projects that might impact areas within Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh District. Permits are filed jointly with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP).
The coastal zone extends about 1,000 feet inland from the shoreline along Lake Erie. Projects affecting this area must comply with Pennsylvania’s Coastal Zone Management Program (CZMP). You can find more information and tools on the PADEP website.
The preliminary effect to threatened and endangered species should be evaluated using the Pennsylvania Natural diversity Inventory (PNDI). Potential species effects are further coordinated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Pennsylvania Field Office.
We must coordinate with the PA State Historic Preservation Office for projects that may impact historic properties. Applicants can request a preliminary review through the PA-SHARE website.
Applicants must describe how they will avoid, minimize, and compensate for impacts to U.S. waters. Mitigation is typically required for permanent wetland losses over 0.1 acres and stream losses over 0.03 acres. Mitigation requirements will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
The identification and location of jurisdictional waters of the United States, including wetlands, regulated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Sections 9 and 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, is determined through a process known as a Jurisdictional Determination (JD). The Corps uses a multi-parameter approach defined in the Corps' Wetland Delineation Manual, dated January 1987, and supplemental guidance (including Regional Supplements) when making wetland determinations. On 18 January 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of the Army (“the agencies”) published a regulation in the Federal Register revising the definition of waters of the United States (2023 Rule). The 2023 Rule became effective on 20 March 2023.