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

Obtain a Permit

Let us help guide you through the permit application process.

Permits

Regulatory Division

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

2020-01360-SSC (Olmsted County, MN) Trail System Project
PUBLIC NOTICE: The applicant is proposing to construct a 10-foot-wide paved trail along Eastwood Road Southeast and along the west side of County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 11 that would extend the existing trail system approximately 2.1 miles and connect to the Department of Natural Resources Chester Woods Regional Trail. The trail would allow pedestrians and bicyclists access to a trail system that connects to eastern Olmsted County, southern Wabasha County, and western Winona County via the Great River Ridge Trail and Whitewater Country Loop Trail.

Date of Expiration: 10/29/2020

SPECIAL PUBLIC NOTICE: NEW - Public Notice Notification/Distribution Procedures
SPECIAL PUBLIC NOTICE: The purpose of this Special Public Notice is to inform the general public that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District Regulatory Division (St. Paul District) is modernizing our public notice notification/distribution procedures. Beginning immediately, we are transitioning from a public notice email notification system to an RSS Feed system. Individuals previously registered to receive public notice notifications via email will continue to receive email notifications through December 31, 2020. However, if you wish to continue receiving public notice notifications, after December 31, 2020, you must register for RSS Feeds notifications.

Date of Expiration:

2020-01500-MJB (Houston County, MN) Kimball Dock Project
PUBLIC NOTICE: APPLICATION FOR PERMIT TO construct a personal recreational dock in the Mississippi River. The dock would total approximately 352 square feet, the boat lift would be approximately 80 square feet, and the two jet ski lifts would total approximately 96 square feet within the Mississippi River.

Date of Expiration: 10/31/2020

> More Public Notices

Regulatory News

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General Permits and Water Quality 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