Virginia Coastal Program: 2003 Coastal Grant Project Description and Final Summary
Project Task:
FY2003 Task 93
Grantee:
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality - Virginia Water Protection Permit Program
Project Title:
Nontidal Wetlands Protocol Implementation
Project Description as Proposed:
Through a statutory provision the State Water Control Board has been asked to seek from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) the issuance to Virginia of a Section 404 Clean Water Act State Programmatic General Permit (SPGP) to streamline the wetland permitting process and eliminate duplicative efforts on the part of USACE and DEQ. In order to implement the SPGP, DEQ requires additional VWPP staff for permitting and compliance, as DEQ will issue permits for impacts of less than 1/2 acre where before these activities were not required to get a permit from the state. Approximately 65% of these new permits will be in the Coastal Zone, where most nontidal wetlands as well as new development activities are located. This project is to provide one FTE to work on nontidal wetland permitting and compliance activities within the Tidewater Virginia localities covered by the DEQ Tidewater Regional Office. This individual will use the protocols and procedures being developed under other grant tasks in the issuance of nontidal wetland general permits.
Federal Funding:
$69,000
Project Contact:
Ellen Gilinsky, 804.698.4375, egilinsky@deq.virginia.gov
Project Status:
Grant Closed
Final Product Received:
Project Summary Provided by Grantee:
The
Tidewater Regional Office Virginia Water Protection Permit project
manager employed under this grant task completed 43 permit actions,
as follows: 10 no permit required determinations (i.e. activity
covered under a Corps NWP that DEQ has certified); 23 general permits;
0 individual permits; 10 notifications (impacts less than 1/10 acre
of surface waters). These permit actions resulted in impacts to
6.97 acres forested nontidal wetlands, 0.66 acres of emergent nontidal
wetlands, 0.79 acres of nontidal scrub shrub wetlands, 0 l.f. of
perennial stream and 1608.52 linear feet of intermittent stream.
The 8.42 acres of wetland impacts were compensated for by purchasing
wetland bank credits equivalent to 13.86 acres of wetlands creation/restoration,
contribution to Virginia Aquatic Resources Trust Fund for the equivalent
of 0.86 acres, creation/restoration of 14.1 acres and preservation
of 23.67 acres. This compensation more than met the regulatory goal
of no net loss of wetland acreage and function through permitted
impacts. Compensation for stream impacts is required on a one for
one basis when feasible: 4,564 l.f. were compensated for through
preserving streams and riparian buffers, and 686 l.f. were compensated
through restoration/relocation.
The TRO project manager conducted 4 pre-applicant site visits, 15
application site visits and 3 permit inspections. He addressed 5
compliance issues associated with these permits, resulting in 1
enforcement referral (the rest were settled without referring to
enforcement). This level of field activity is consistent with our
goal of preventing unpermitted impacts, assessing avoidance and
minimization of impacts prior to permitting a project, and ensuring
permit compliance once the permit is issued. Unfortunately, on March
23, 2004, the project manager funded under this grant task resigned
and the position remained vacant for the remainder of the grant
period.
Form C end
Disclaimer: This project summary provides the federal dollars initially awarded to the grantee. Due to underexpenditure or reprogramming of grant funds, this figure may change. For more information on the allocation of coastal grant funds, please contact Laura McKay, Virginia Coastal Program Manager, at 804.698.4323 or email: Laura.McKay@deq.virginia.gov
A more detailed Scope of Work for this project is available. Please direct your request for a copy to Virginia.Witmer@deq.virginia.gov
