SAVANNAH, Ga. - Forty years ago, the primary law to protect the nation’s waters was passed by Congress on Oct. 18, 1972. Originally enacted in 1948 to control water pollution, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, or Clean Water Act (CWA), was totally revised in 1972 to give the act its current shape.
The CWA set a new national goal “to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.”
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act requires a Department of the Army permit before dredged or fill material are discharged into waters of the United States, unless the activity is exempt from Section 404 regulation (e.g. certain farming and forestry activities). Under this program, examples of regulated activities in waters of the United States include fill for development, water resource projects (such as dams and levees), and infrastructure development (such as highways and airports).
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District encourages its customers to be informed and proactive regarding the requirements for obtaining a Department of the Army permit prior to the discharge of dredge or fill material into U.S. waters. The district has an interactive online avatar to help guide the public through the regulatory permitting process. The avatar includes downloadable checklists, application forms, examples, and other resources, available at: http://www.sas.usace.army.mil/regulatory/Avatar/Main.html
Pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, the Savannah District completes hundreds of jurisdictional determinations and reviews hundreds of permit applications annually. In fiscal year 2012, the Savannah District Regulatory Division issued 657 Section 404 permits for projects within the State of Georgia.
For more information, please visit the Savannah District Regulatory homepage at: http://www.sas.usace.army.mil/regulatory/index.html