Nattionwide permits (NWPs) are a type of general permit and represent DA authorizations that have been issued by the regulation (33 CFR Part 330) for certain specified activities nationwide. If certain conditions are met, the specified activities can take place without the need for an individual or regional permit.
A prospective permittee must satisfy all terms and general conditions of an NWP for a valid authorization to occur as well as any applicable Regional Condtiions listed below for Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Some conditions identify a "threshold" that, if met, requires additional procedures or provisions contained in other paragraphs in this section. It is important to remember that the NWPs only authorize activities from the perspective of the Corps regulatory authorities and that other Federal, state, and local permits, approvals, or authorizations may also be required. State 401 water quality certification pursuant to Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, or waiver thereof, is required prior to the issuance or reissuance of NWPs authorizing activities which may result in a discharge into waters of the United States.
Nationwide Permits authorize a category of activities throughout the entire nation, and are valid only if the regional conditions (see below) applicable to the permits are met. If these conditions are not met, a regional or individual permit will be required. F
An application should be submitted to the Corps of Engineers for any proposed activity that requires a pre-construction notification, and for any proposed action for which the applicant wants a letter of verification that they are in compliance with the Nationwide Permit. Applications should include, at a minimum, the following:
All preconstruction notifications (PCNs) to the District Engineer shall describe all activities that the applicant plans to undertake that are reasonably related to the same project. All PCNs to the District Engineer shall include the following information, where applicable, in addition to any other information specified in the nationwide permit itself or general conditions:
Plan(s) of the proposed work on 8-1/2 by 11 inch paper and full-sized scaled engineering drawings, if available; a location map; longitude and latitude; formal property identification such as lot and block or tax parcel number, representative photographs of the project site; a delineation of areas within Federal jurisdiction, including wetlands, for the entire project area; existing water depths; depth of any cables or pipelines below mean low water; height of any cables, pipelines or other structures above mean high water; the maximum distance that any structure(s) would extend channelward of the mean high water line or ordinary high water in non-tidal areas; the maximum distance that any fill would extend channelward of the high tide line or ordinary high water in non-tidal areas; the width of the waterway at the project site; the location of any mapped floodplain areas; the location of any dredged material disposal area; the distance from the edge of any navigation channel; the location of any temporary work, structures, vessels, or fills required for the construction; a copy of any previous Federal or State approvals; and, the location and nature of any submerged aquatic vegetation (e.g., eel grass Zostera, marina) or shellfish beds. All work in areas of Federal jurisdiction shall be identified on a scaled plan of the project site. Further, at the discretion of the District Engineer, the Corps may consider a PCN incomplete if it is determined that field verification of a wetland delineation is required.
- NWP CZM and WQC Status Table: Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania (2012)