Clean Water Act Section 404  

• CWA Section 404 Overview
   
• Text of CWA Section 404
   
• State Assumption of the 404 Program (Part 233-404 State Program Regulations)
  

CWA 404 Definitions/Abbreviations

• List of 404 Definitions
   
• List of 404 Abbreviations and Acronyms
  

Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899
Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 establishes a program to regulate activities affecting navigation in waters of the United States, including wetlands.

• Text of Section 10 (33 U.S.C. 403)
   
• Army Corps of Engineers, Section 10 Program

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA)
NEPA is the basic national charter for protection of the environment. It establishes policy, sets goals and provides means for carrying out the policy.

• Text of NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321-4347)
    
• EPA’s Overview of NEPA
   

Endangered Species Act

Read the text of the act (Public Law 93–205, approved Dec. 28, 1973, 87 Stat. 884, as amended through Public Law 107–136, Jan. 24, 2002). 

Endangered Species Act – Section 7 Consultation
Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) directs all federal agencies to use their existing authorities to conserve threatened and endangered species and, in consultation with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, to ensure that their actions do not jeopardize listed species or destroy or adversely modify critical habitat. Section 7 applies to management of federal lands as well as other federal actions that may affect listed species, such as federal approval of private activities through the issuance of federal permits, licenses or other actions.

• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Overview of Section 7 Consultations
   
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife ESA Section 7 Consultation Handbook
  

U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
The primary regulatory authority over federal wetlands is the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). There are four USACE districts with jurisdiction over Kentucky’s waters. The Louisville District is the lead Corps district.

• Louisville District home page  
• Huntington District home page 
• Nashville District home page 
• Memphis District home page   
• USACE Regulatory Guidance Letters

Wetlands

• The EPA’s wetlands Web site is a good starting point for general and specific wetlands information. 
    
• EPA - Wetlands Fact Sheets  
    
• EPA – Wetlands Policy and Technical Guidance Documents  
    
• EPA – Wetlands Executive Orders 
    
• The EPA Region 4 Wetlands Web site, covering Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, is a good site for links to governmental Web sites and contact information.
  
  
• Wetlands Delineation
  
  404 Delineation Manual Section Section 1
  
  404 Delineation Manual Section 2a
  
  404 Delineation Manual Section 2b
  
  404 Delineation Manual Section 3
   

Streams

• The Importance of Healthy Headwaters  
• Stream Restoration, Ecology and Aquatic Management Solutions  
• North Carolina State University Water Quality Group
  

Section 404 and Swampbuster: Wetlands on Agricultural Lands
The Food Security Act of 1985 contains several provisions that were intended to discourage the conversion of wetlands to agricultural production. These provisions, often referred to as Swampbuster provisions, withhold certain federal farm program benefits from farmers who convert or modify wetlands.

• Overview of Swampbuster     
• Joint guidance on conducting wetland determinations for the CWA and the Food Security Act  
• Kentucky Natural Resources Conservation Service

Presentations (PowerPoint documents)

CWA 404 Nationwide and Individual Permits - Jim Townsend, chief of Regulatory Branch, Louisville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Kentucky’s 401 Certification and Floodplain Construction Program- Jenni Garland, supervisor, 401 Water Quality Certification Section, Kentucky Division of Water

Public Interest Presentation - Jim Townsend, chief of Regulatory Branch, Louisville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (PowerPoint document)

Beyond Section 404: Corps Permitting and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)  - Tim Haggerty, Frost Brown Todd LLC (Word document)

Environmental Review Under the National Environmental Policy Act and Related Statutes  - Tim Haggerty, Frost Brown Todd LLC (Word document)