Dredge and fill permits

Dredge and fill permits under the Clean Water Act (CWA) ... 

Since valley fill invariably wound up in the streams that ran along valley floors, mountaintop removal operations also needed a dredge and fill permit from CoE. In 1991, CoE issued a nationwide permit that allowed mountain-top removal activities with minimal environmental impact to proceed with only cursory review. Under its very liberal interpretation of the word minimal, CoE required only about 7 percent of almost 1,000 removals per year to obtain full-fledged permits. ... 

Wetlands modifications and/or the placement of dredge and fill materials into surface waters is covered by a permit program administered by the US Army Corp of Engineers. The CWA defines surface waters to include wetlands, hence, activities that involve any modification of wetlands are covered by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The... 

Dredging or filling of wetlands improperly and/or witliout a permit... 

Applications for provisional permits to operate hydraulic clam dredges have been received. On-site inspection of these dredges prior to harvesting is prescribed in the permit. One of the more notable operations seeking a provisional permit is a vessel-mounted subtidal razor clam dredge capable of harvesting clams in depths up to ten fathoms. This enterprise initially targeted the bait clam area but will shift to the human consumption area (i.e., Polly Creek) if and when bait contracts are filled. 

Alternative spoil containment dyke structures have been used where hydrauhc conditions permit and where cost savings are important. For example. Fig. 20.28(b) shows the use of geotextile tubes as a dredged spoil containment dyke. The advantage of this solution is that the dredged spoil itself may be used as the fill inside the geotextile mbes, which increases the effective spoil capacity of the containment facility. This... 

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