[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 40, Volume 22]
[Revised as of July 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 40CFR230.1]

[Page 252]
 
                   TITLE 40--PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT
 
         CHAPTER I--ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED)
 
PART 230--SECTION 404(b)(1) GUIDELINES FOR SPECIFICATION OF DISPOSAL SITES 
FOR DREDGED OR FILL MATERIAL--Table of Contents
 
                           Subpart A--General
 
Sec. 230.1  Purpose and policy.


    (a) The purpose of these Guidelines is to restore and maintain the 
chemical, physical, and biological integrity of waters of the United 
States through the control of discharges of dredged or fill material.
    (b) Congress has expressed a number of policies in the Clean Water 
Act. These Guidelines are intended to be consistent with and to 
implement those policies.
    (c) Fundamental to these Guidelines is the precept that dredged or 
fill material should not be discharged into the aquatic ecosystem, 
unless it can be demonstrated that such a discharge will not have an 
unacceptable adverse impact either individually or in combination with 
known and/or probable impacts of other activities affecting the 
ecosystems of concern.
    (d) From a national perspective, the degradation or destruction of 
special aquatic sites, such as filling operations in wetlands, is 
considered to be among the most severe environmental impacts covered by 
these Guidelines. The guiding principle should be that degradation or 
destruction of special sites may represent an irreversible loss of 
valuable aquatic resources.