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

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COVID-19 and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Program

During the current COVID-19 pandemic, the St. Paul District Regulatory Program continues to serve our customers throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Our primary commitment is to public health and safety, including that of our employees and their families. We will continue to comply with national, state, and local recommendations for social distancing to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Employees are primarily working from their homes. All Regulatory offices in Minnesota and Wisconsin are unoccupied. Employees may also be working variable hours, to care for themselves and family members.

Please continue to use normal business phone numbers and email addresses; employees are able to receive those calls and messages remotely. Continue to follow established procedures for submitting requests and responding to Public Notices electronically. Employees may periodically retrieve physical mail from offices, but it will not be as timely as electronic communication.

Meetings will primarily be held virtually. Those that cannot will be postponed. As field season approaches, we will adhere to social distancing protocols and maximize our use of remote tools to evaluate site conditions.

Our goal is to remain responsive to the public, while fully complying with measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

If you have questions, please call our Regulatory hotline at (651) 290-5525.

Proposal for the reissuance of 2020 nationwide permits available for public comment

On September 15, 2020, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published in the Federal Register its proposal to reissue the 52 existing nationwide permits (NWPs) and issue five new NWPs. This public notice discusses and solicits public comment on the St. Paul District’s proposal to issue 43 nationwide permits and associated regional conditions and revoke 14 nationwide permits within Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Link to public notice

Mississippi River wetland includes lilypads

EPA and Army publish Navigable Waters Protection Rule

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army’s Navigable Waters Protection Rule: Definition of “Waters of the United States” was published in the Federal Register. This final rule establishes the scope of federal regulatory authority under the Clean Water Act. The Navigable Waters Protection Rule includes four simple categories of jurisdictional waters and provides specific exclusions for many water features that traditionally have not been regulated. The final rule became effective on June 22, 2020.

Federal Register NoticeMore Info from EPA

Need a wetlands permit?

Let us help guide you through the permit application process.

MinnesotaWisconsin

Regulatory Branch

Wetland Plant Book

Version 3.2 - July 2015 Steve D. Eggers and Donald M. Reed Request a copy Copies are available for your school, agency, office or personal use. Books must be picked up at the St. Paul District Office.
Pt.1	Introduction; Key to Plant Communities; Shallow, Open Water Communities
Pt.2	Deep and Shallow Marshes
Pt.3	Sedge Meadows and Fresh (wet) Meadows
Pt.4	Wet to Wet-Mesic Prairies and Calcareous Fens
Pt.5	Bogs and Shrub Swamps
Pt.6	Wooded Swamps
Pt.7	Floodplain Forests; Seasonally Flooded Basins; Appendices; Glossary; Bibliography; Index

Recent Regulatory Public Notices

2016-04080-DJM (Olmsted County, MN) Oehlke Wetland Mitigation Bank
PUBLIC NOTICE: The sponsor is proposing to develop the Oehlke Wetland Bank, which is comprised of two separate parcels owned by Ingrid and Chester Oehlke (Parcel ID: 541841034216) and Kenneth Oehlke (Parcel ID: 541843034 217) totaling 27-acres, including upland buffer.

Date of Expiration: 10/23/2020

Proposed 2020 Nationwide Permits and Regional Conditions in Minnesota and Wisconsin
PUBLIC NOTICE: On September 15, 2020, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published in the Federal Register its proposal to reissue the 52 existing nationwide permits (NWPs) and issue five new NWPs. This current public notice discusses and solicits public comment on the St. Paul District’s proposal to issue 43 nationwide permits and associated regional conditions and revoke 14 nationwide permits within Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Date of Expiration: 11/02/2020

2020-01581-SJW (Green Lake County, WI) Lake Puckaway Phase I Barrier Project
PUBLIC NOTICE: The applicant has submitted a request for Department of the Army authorization to permanently discharge fill material (breaker rock) below the plane of the ordinary high water mark (OHWM) onto the aquatic bed of Lake Puckaway for the construction of a breakwater structure which will be used to provide shoreline stabilization and protect the emergent vegetation which has been greatly diminished as a result of wave action on the lake.

Date of Expiration: 10/03/2020

> More Public Notices

Regulatory News

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Permits & Certifications

Regional General Permits and Water Quality Certification

Nationwide Permits and Water Quality Certification

About Our Regulatory & Permits Office

The mission of the 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 essentially all construction 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

Minnesota

USACE_Requests_MN@usace.army.mil

Field Office	Address
Bemidji	4111 Technology Drive NW, Suite 295 Bemidji, MN 56601 218-444-6381
Brainerd	10867 East Gull Lake Drive NW Brainerd, MN 56401 651-290-5767
Duluth	600 South Lake Avenue, Suite 211 Duluth, MN 55802 218-788-6408
La Crescent	1114 South Oak Street La Crescent, MN 55947 651-290-5902