Properties proposed for development must be assessed for the presence of wetlands and other regulated surface waters to comply with local, state and federal regulations. Early coordination of wetland and stream permitting is key to reducing project costs and delays.
Wetland and Stream Permitting and Compensatory Mitigation
Simplified Permitting and Water-quality Certifications
Properties proposed for development must be assessed for the presence of wetlands and other regulated surface waters to comply with local, state and federal regulations. Early coordination of wetland and stream permitting is key to reducing project costs and delays.
Why ECS for wetland and stream permitting services
Regulations typically require that site-development design considers a range of options and selects the one that is potentially least-impactful. If impacts to aquatic resources cannot be avoided, permits are required per the Clean Water Act Section 404 and Section 401 at the federal level and often additional statutes at the state level. ECS has extensive experience preparing applications and obtaining nationwide, general and individual permits as well as regional water-quality certifications.
Compensatory mitigation services
Projects with unavoidable impacts may require mitigation as part of the permitting process.
Mitigation can be:
- Identifying and purchasing credits through private or regional mitigation banks
- Facilitating permittee-responsible mitigation (on-site creation, restoration and/or enhancements of wetland or stream)
- Obtaining in-lieu credits from state-managed programs
Thresholds differ across districts. ECS is adept at identifying and obtaining the mitigation type that balances project needs.
Long-term permittee-responsible mitigation monitoring services
To abide by permittee-responsible mitigation obligations, long-term mitigation monitoring services are often required in order to secure and document the successful function of the created or restored wetland. If a wetland is not functioning as proposed, ECS can assist in identifying and implementing necessary adaptive management actions to successfully restore the wetland functions. Similar actions are required of stream mitigation sites.
Additional ECS natural resource services
ECS is here to simplify the permitting process and help secure water-quality certifications for your projects, as well as provide guidance for compensatory mitigation and long-term mitigation monitoring.
ECS is here to simplify the permitting process and help secure water-quality certifications for your projects, as well as provide guidance for compensatory mitigation and long-term mitigation monitoring.