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USACE launches new Regulatory Request System

Last year the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers introduced its new Regulatory Request System, or RRS, an online application portal that allows the public to submit permit-related information when requesting permission to dredge, fill or conduct activities in waters of the U.S.

RRS is accessible at https://rrs.usace.army.mil/rrs.

In Minnesota and Wisconsin, RRS users can submit pre-application meeting requests, permit-related jurisdictional determination requests, and comments on public notices using easy-to-follow online submission forms. Applicants can also track the status of their requests with a user-friendly dashboard.

Please do not use the RRS to apply for a permit in Minnesota or Wisconsin.

The St. Paul District employs a joint permit application process with those states. We will continue to process all requests received through our statewide electronic mailboxes or obtained from state agencies. Please go to the following link for information on how to obtain a permit: https://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Permitting-Process-Procedures/.

RRS benefits the public by eliminating the burden associated with the preparation and mailing of paper submissions. It also reduces some of the effort associated with processing applications and data entry making the permitting process more efficient. Click here to learn more about the benefits of RRS (RRS Testimonial Video).

The St. Paul District strongly encourages pre-application meetings, where regulatory team members can provide valuable advice to permit applicants to help streamline the permit process. We will also continue to prepare jurisdictional determinations that result in reducing, expediting, or eliminating permit requirements. Our regulatory project managers will continue to actively identify non-jurisdictional waters on project sites and prepare jurisdictional determinations to eliminate permit requirements on those waters. We are generally unable to divert resources from permitting activities to prepare jurisdictional determinations where there is no project proposal. This approach supports timely permit decisions and ensures we meet the public's needs effectively.

USACE Regulatory Request System Promo Video

Announcements

2024 National Wetland Plant List Draft Changes - Wednesday, January 29, 2025

29 JANUARY 2025 - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), as part of an interagency effort with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, is announcing the availability of the draft changes to the 2024 NWPL and its web address to solicit public comments.  The public now has the opportunity to comment on the proposed changes to wetland indicator status ratings for one plant species in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain and Eastern Mountains, and Piedmont regions and one species in the Midwest and Northcentral and Northeast regions. Additionally, changes to eight species in the Alaska Region are proposed and available for public comment. The Federal Register Notice (FRN) for the 2024 NWPL update can be found here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/28/2025-01798/national-wetland-plant-list .  The public comment period ends on 31 March 2025.

 

USACE encourages public input in the form of data, comments, literature references, or field experiences, to help clarify the status of the species reviewed for this update. Comments on these proposed changes should be emailed to nwpl@usace.army.mil. Users are encouraged to submit literature citations, herbaria records, experiential references, monitoring data, photographic documentation, and other relevant information. Specific knowledge of, or studies related to, individual species are particularly helpful. When providing input or information on the draft changes to the 2024 NWPL update, commenters should use their regional botanical and ecological expertise, field observations, reviews of the most recent indicator status information, appropriate botanical literature, floras, herbarium specimens with notation of habitat and associated species, habit data, relevant studies, and historic list information. Providing ratings without supporting documentation or information is not recommended. All submitted comments and information will be compiled and sent to the National Panel for their review and consideration.

 

USACE administers the NWPL for the United States and its territories.  The NWPL provides plant species indicator status ratings, which are used in determining whether the hydrophytic vegetation factor is met when conducting wetland delineations under the Clean Water Act and wetland determinations under the Wetland Conservation Provisions of the Food Security Act. Other applications of the NWPL include wetland restoration, establishment, and enhancement projects.  Additions or deletions to the NWPL represent new records, range extensions, nomenclatural and taxonomic changes, and newly proposed species.  The latest review process began in 2024 and included review by Regional Panels and the National Panel. 

 

Additional information on the NWPL can be found at the NWPL website (https://wetland-plants.sec.usace.army.mil/), including a new video on how to use the newly redesigned site, which can be found here: https://wetland-plants.sec.usace.army.mil/reference/.

 

2022 National Wetland Plant List - Wednesday, February 14, 2024

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as part of an interagency effort with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, is announcing the availability of the final 2022 National Wetland Plant List (NWPL). The Federal Register Notice for the 2022 NWPL update can be found here: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-02-13/pdf/2024-02903.pdf.

The NWPL provides plant species wetland indicator status ratings, which are used in determining whether the hydrophytic vegetation factor is met when conducting wetland delineations under the Clean Water Act and wetland determinations under the Wetland Conservation Provisions of the Food Security Act. Other applications of the NWPL include wetland restoration, establishment, and enhancement projects. The list is effective as of 13 February 2024 and will be used in any wetland delineations performed after this date. A summary of the 2022 NWPL is provided in the table below.

 

2022 National Wetland Plant List Updates

Scientific Name

Region

2020 Rating

2022 Rating

Isocoma menziesii

Arid West

FAC

FACU

Populus fremontii

Arid West

FAC

FACW

 

 

Completed wetland delineation/determination forms should reference the version of the NWPL used to complete the form. The final NWPL is available at https://wetland-plants.sec.usace.army.mil/ (preferred browsers are Chrome and Firefox). Please note that while the web address for the NWPL website has not changed with this update, the website itself has undergone updates to enhance the utility of the NWPL.

Updated versions of the Automated Wetland Determination Data Sheets (ADS), which reflect revisions to the NWPL, can be found at the following link: https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Regulatory-Program-and-Permits/reg_supp/ within the “General Information” dropdown. More info regarding the ADS and its utility in wetland delineation can be found at the following link: https://www.usace.army.mil/Media/Announcements/Article/2989646/5-april-2022-army-corps-of-engineers-announces-the-release-of-automated-wetland/.

 

Recent Regulatory Public Notices

Trunk Highway 5 Improvements
The applicant requests authorization to permanently discharge fill material into 4.00 acres of wetlands and 127 linear feet (0.02 acre) of tributaries and temporarily excavate and backfill 1.19 acres of wetlands and 35 linear feet (263 sq ft) of tributary associated with improvements to TH 5 corridor. Temporary impacts are anticipated to remain in place for up to 180 days and would be restored to preconstruction conditions upon completion of the regulated activities.
Date of Expiration: 07/18/2025
Grygelko Mitigation Bank Proposal
This proposal was previously advertised on public notice on December 20, 2023, and the sponsor has made several revisions to the original proposal. The revisions include Hydrocad modeling data, as well as an updated wetland delineation report, credit table, performance standards, and design plans. The sponsor proposes to construct a wetland mitigation bank with credits for bank service area 7, which includes the Twin Cities metro area. The objective of the project is to re-establish fresh wet meadow wetlands with mesic prairie upland buffers by discontinuing agricultural use, breaking and blocking existing drain tile, and planting and establishing native, noninvasive vegetation. The successful achievement of the objectives would result in the rehabilitation of 13.8 acres of fresh wet meadow, the enhancement of 0.50 acre of fresh wet meadow, the establishment of 0.50 acre of fresh wet meadow, and the restoration of 14.8 acres of upland buffer.
Date of Expiration: 08/01/2025
Potomac Marsh Wetland Bank
The sponsor is proposing to develop the Potomac Marsh Wetland Mitigation Bank. The proposed bank site is approximately 55 acres in size, including upland buffer areas. The sponsor intends to restore 2.1 acres of shallow marsh, 16.9 acres of fresh wet meadow, 3.9 acres of hardwood swamp, and 22.5 acres of upland buffer within the property. In addition, the sponsor is proposing to preserve 7.2 acres of upland prairie and upland forest. The sponsor is proposing to restore these wetland communities by filling ditches to restore wetland hydrology and establishing native vegetation by installing native seed mixes in the wetland and upland communities.
Date of Expiration: 08/01/2025

Regulatory News

The USACE Regulatory Program - Importance to the Public

About Our Regulatory & Permits Office

The purpose of Corps of Engineers' regulatory program is to protect the nation's aquatic resources, while allowing reasonable development through fair, flexible and balanced permit decisions. The Corps evaluates permit applications for all regulated activities that occur in the nation's waters, including wetlands.

The Corps' regulatory program includes Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The St. Paul District's regulatory jurisdiction covers the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Under Section 10, a Corps permit is required to do any work in, over or under a 'Navigable Water of the U.S.' Waterbodies have been designated as 'Navigable Waters of the U.S.' based on their past, present or potential use for transportation for interstate commerce.

Under Section 404, a Corps permit is required for the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the U.S. Many waterbodies and wetlands in the nation are waters of the U.S. and are subject to the Corps' Section 404 regulatory authority.

 

Contact Information

Expand List item 13845Collapse List item 13845  Minnesota

USACE_Requests_MN@usace.army.mil

 Field Office Address
MN North-Bemidji 4111 Technology Dr. NW
Suite 295
Bemidji, MN 56601
218-788-6406
MN North-Brainerd 10867 E Gull Lake Dr. NW
Brainerd, MN 56401
218-788-6406
MN North-Duluth

11 E Superior St. 
Suite 260
Duluth, MN 55802
218-393-2837

 MN South-La Crosse 332 Front St., S
Floor 4
La Crosse, WI 54601
651-290-5902
Expand List item 13846Collapse List item 13846  Wisconsin

USACE_Requests_WI@usace.army.mil

 Field Office

 Address

WI East- Brookfield 250 N Sunnyslope Rd.,
Suite 296
Brookfield, WI 53005
651-290-5622

WI East-Green Bay

320 N Broadway
Suite 200
Green Bay, WI 54303
651-290-5673
 WI West-Hayward

10637 Hayward Court
Unit 2
Hayward, WI 54843
651-290-5883

 WI West- Stevens
   Point
2926 Post Rd.
Suite B
Stevens Point, WI 54481
651-290-5876
   

Expand List item 6116Collapse List item 6116  District Headquarters

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
St. Paul District - Regulatory

332 Minnesota St., Suite E1500
St. Paul, MN 55101

Tel: 651 290-5525
800-290-5847 x 5525

 

Expand List item 25753Collapse List item 25753  Transportation and Utility Branch for Water Resources Development Section 214 Agreements

Transportation and Utility Branch:
Tel (MN): 651-290-5769
Tel (WI) 651-443-1929
Email the Transportation and Utility Team

Expand List item 37204Collapse List item 37204  Technical Services Branch for Mitigation Banking Programs

Joint Permit Applications

Minnesota
Minnesota Joint Application Form 


Wisconsin
Wisconsin Joint Application Form
Checklist for Wisconsin Joint Application


If you need immediate assistance,
contact the St. Paul District at
(800) 290-5847 ext. 5525 or
651-290-5525