Vantage to Pomona FEIS Index 34 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Vantage to Pomona Heights Chapter 3 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS Affected Environment PAGE 3-286 general permits to authorize activities that have minimal individual and cumulative adverse environmental effects. A nationwide permit is a general permit that authorizes activities across the country. There are currently 49 nationwide permits that authorize a wide variety of activities including utility lines. A Nationwide 12 Permit authorizes the construction, maintenance, and repair of utility lines and associated facilities including access roads provided the activity does not result in the loss of greater than 0.5 acre of waters of the U.S. (including wetlands) for each single and complete project. For linear projects (transmission line), a single and complete project constitutes all crossings of a single water of the U.S. (i.e., single waterbody) at a specific location. 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 and crossings of such features cannot be considered separately. Rivers and Harbors Act Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 regulates all work done in, or structures placed below, the ordinary high water mark of navigable waters of the U.S. Pursuant to the implementing regulations, USACE Section 10 permits are required for electric transmission lines crossing navigable waters of the U.S. and, as such, would be required for this Project. Coastal Zone Management Consistency The Coastal Zone Management Program is authorized by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 and administered at the federal level by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, Coastal Programs Division. Management of the Program is delegated to the states participating in the Program. In Washington, the WDOE administers the Program. 3.14.3.2 State Jurisdiction Water Quality Certification Applicants receiving a Section 404 permit from the USACE, a Coast Guard permit, or license from FERC are required to obtain a Section 401 water quality certification from the WDOE. Issuance of a certification means that WDOE anticipates the applicant's project will comply with state water quality standards and other aquatic resource protection requirements under WDOE’s authority. The 401 Certification can cover both the construction and operation of the proposed Project. Conditions of the 401 Certification become conditions of the federal permit or license. Hydraulic Project Approval Any form of work that uses, diverts, obstructs, or changes the natural flow or bed of any fresh water or saltwater of the state, requires a Hydraulic Project Approval from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Aquatic Use Authorization Under what is commonly referred to as the Aquatic Lands Act, anyone wishing to use or cross state- owned aquatic lands, including owners of adjacent lands, must get authorization from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Aquatics Division. Use authorizations are required for physical installations on state-owned aquatic lands. Aquatic lands include the beds of Puget Sound, navigable rivers, lakes, and other waters; and much of the tidelands (land covered and exposed by the tide) and shorelands of lakes and other fresh waters. The aerial crossing of the Columbia River would require an aquatic use authorization. Additionally, if temporary construction impacts a state-owned aquatic land, DNR will require a separate use authorization known as a Right of Entry (ROE). A ROE is a temporary agreement allowing placement of improvements for construction purposes only. Prior to expiration of the ROE’s term, all improvements