[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 33, Volume 3]

[Revised as of July 1, 2006]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 33CFR330.2]



[Page 474-475]

 

                TITLE 33--NAVIGATION AND NAVIGABLE WATERS

 

 CHAPTER II--CORPS OF ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, DEPARTMENT OF 

                                 DEFENSE

 

PART 330_NATIONWIDE PERMIT PROGRAM--Table of Contents

 

Sec.  330.2  Definitions.



    (a) The definitions found in 33 CFR parts 320-329 are applicable to 

the terms used in this part.

    (b) Nationwide permit refers to a type of general permit which 

authorizes activities on a nationwide basis unless specifically limited. 

(Another type of general permit is a ``regional permit'' which is issued 

by division or district engineers on a regional basis in accordance with 

33 CFR part 325). (See 33 CFR 322.2(f) and 323.2(h) for the definition 

of a general permit.)

    (c) Authorization means that specific activities that qualify for an 

NWP may proceed, provided that the terms and conditions of the NWP are 

met. After determining that the activity complies with all applicable 

terms and conditions, the prospective permittee may assume an 

authorization under an NWP. This assumption is subject to the DE's 

authority to determine if an activity complies with the terms and 

conditions of an NWP. If requested by the permittee in writing, the DE 

will verify in writing that the permittee's proposed activity complies 

with the terms and conditions of the NWP. A written verification may 

contain activity-specific conditions and regional conditions which a 

permittee must satisfy for the authorization to be valid.

    (d) Headwaters means non-tidal rivers, streams, and their lakes and 

impoundments, including adjacent wetlands, that are part of a surface 

tributary system to an interstate or navigable water of the United 

States upstream of the point on the river or stream at which the average 

annual flow is less than five cubic feet per second. The DE may estimate 

this point from available data by using the mean annual area 

precipitation, area drainage basin maps, and the average runoff 

coefficient, or by similar means. For streams that are dry for long 

periods of the year, DEs may establish the point where headwaters begin 

as that point on the stream where a flow of five cubic feet per second 

is equaled or exceeded 50 percent of the time.

    (e) Isolated waters means those non-tidal waters of the United 

States that are:

    (1) Not part of a surface tributary system to interstate or 

navigable waters of the United States; and

    (2) Not adjacent to such tributary waterbodies.

    (f) Filled area means the area within jurisdictional waters which is 

eliminated or covered as a direct result of the discharge (i.e., the 

area actually covered by the discharged material). It does not include 

areas excavated nor areas impacted as an indirect effect of the fill.

    (g) Discretionary authority means the authority described in 

Sec. Sec.  330.1(d) and 330.4(e) which the Chief of Engineers delegates 

to division or district engineers to modify an NWP authorization by 

adding conditions, to suspend an NWP authorization, or to revoke an NWP 

authorization and thus require individual permit authorization.

    (h) Terms and conditions. The ``terms'' of an NWP are the 

limitations and provisions included in the description of the NWP 

itself. The ``conditions'' of NWPs are additional provisions which place 

restrictions or limitations on all



[[Page 475]]



of the NWPs. These are published with the NWPs. Other conditions may be 

imposed by district or division engineers on a geographic, category-of-

activity, or activity-specific basis (See 33 CFR 330.4(e)).

    (i) Single and complete project means the total project proposed or 

accomplished by one owner/developer or partnership or other association 

of owners/developers. For example, if construction of a residential 

development affects several different areas of a headwater or isolated 

water, or several different headwaters or isolated waters, the 

cumulative total of all filled areas should be the basis for deciding 

whether or not the project will be covered by an NWP. For linear 

projects, the ``single and complete project'' (i.e., single and complete 

crossing) will apply to each crossing of a separate water of the United 

States (i.e., single waterbody) at that location; except that for linear 

projects crossing a single waterbody several times at separate and 

distant locations, each crossing is considered a single and complete 

project. However, individual channels in a braided stream or river, or 

individual arms of a large, irregularly-shaped wetland or lake, etc., 

are not separate waterbodies.

    (j) Special aquatic sites means wetlands, mudflats, vegetated 

shallows, coral reefs, riffle and pool complexes, sanctuaries, and 

refuges as defined at 40 CFR 230.40 through 230.45.