Category: Uncategorized

We are pleased to announce that on April 22, the Huntington Corps District approved the Final Instrument for our stream mitigation in-lieu fee (ILF) program, which encompasses nine of the 8-digit HUC’s located in the Ohio portion of the Huntington Corps District.

Click on the above image to view the interactive map.

“The district engineer has completed authorization of our in-lieu fee program for stream mitigation in the Huntington District and we are eager to start working with our partners to identify and develop high quality stream mitigation sites in these watersheds,” said Stream + Wetlands Foundation (S+W) President Vince Messerly. “This approval allows us to provide a cost-effective compensatory stream mitigation alternative to permit applicants in this part of Ohio.” Cost for the stream mitigation credits will be $230 per linear foot.

In the summer of 2014, S+W received authorization from both the Huntington and Pittsburgh Corps Districts to sponsor wetland ILF programs. In July 2015, S+W received authorization to sponsor an ILF program for impacts to streams and wetlands in the Ohio portion of the Pittsburgh Corps District. To date, these programs have served more than 100 permit applicants.

ILF programs help streamline the permit review and approval process for permit applicants and regulatory agencies. “Once a permit applicant completes acquisition of credits from the ILF program, their responsibility for providing compensatory mitigation is complete – they are not responsible for monitoring, maintenance, or remedial work for the mitigation project,” said Messerly.

At S+W, we are proud to be the first approved entity in Ohio to operate an ILF program since the 2008 federal rule was issued. Contact us to see how our ILF can benefit your organization.

On January 29, Vince Messerly, president of the Stream + Wetlands Foundation, will be the guest speaker at the Developers Council meeting for the BIA of Stark County. Messerly’s presentation “Compensatory Mitigation and Waters of the U.S. Regulation” will provide details on compensatory mitigation for impacts to wetlands and streams and details on the new Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) regulations which took effect August 28 and are currently under a nationwide stay). Messerly will also discuss how the local offices of the Army Corp of Engineers will implement the regulations and what homebuilders need to know about the new WOTUS regulations and how current and future projects may affected.

On Friday, October 9, a federal appeals court halted a high-profile rule defining the scope of the Clean Water Act, marking the latest legal maneuver for the controversial rule. Judges on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio issued an order granting states’ request to stay the Waters of the U.S. rule while the court considers its legality. The order comes in response to challenges by 18 states to the Waters of the U.S. rule from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers and puts the rule on hold pending legal review. The petitioners included: Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, West Virginia, Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, South Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin.

On Aug. 27, a United States District Court for the District of North Dakota issued an order blocking the controversial Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule hours before it was due to take effect. Judge Ralph Erickson found that the 13 states suing to block the rule met the conditions necessary for a preliminary injunction. Erickson included that the states would likely be harmed if courts didn’t act.

The Corps of Engineers has informed us that they intend to release a small amount of credits at the Granger Wetland Mitigation bank in early September. The credit release may include forested and non-forested wetland credits. For more information, please contact us soon as we anticipate that there will be a strong demand for these credits.

We are pleased to announce that on July 8, the Pittsburgh Corps District  approved the Final Instrument for our stream mitigation in-lieu fee program.  This encompasses the four 8-digit HUC’s in the Ohio portion of the Pittsburgh Corps District.  “We are thrilled to have received final approval of our in-lieu fee program for stream mitigation in the Pittsburgh District,” said Stream + Wetlands Foundation President Vince Messerly. “This will provide an immediate relief to permit applicants in this part of Ohio that need to provide compensatory mitigation for impacts to streams.”

The cost of the stream mitigation credits will be $230 per linear foot.  We anticipate receiving  approval from the Huntington Corps District for our in lieu fee program for streams in that District by the end of this summer.  For more information, please feel free to call us at (740) 654-4016 or read more about our ILF programs here.