The mission of the Corps of Engineers Regulatory Program is to protect the Nation's aquatic resources, while allowing reasonable development through fair, flexible and balanced permit decisions. The Corps evaluates permit applications for essentially all construction activities that occur in the Nation's waters, including wetlands. The Corps of Engineers has been given the authority under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act of 1972. Under Section 10, a Corps permit is required for work or structures in, over, or under navigable waters of the United States. Under Section 404, A Corps permit is required for the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States, which include streams and wetlands.
The Huntington District Regulatory program reviews proposed projects that may impact waters of the United States in portions of Ohio and West Virginia, with field offices in Dover, OH, Cincinnati, OH, Columbus, OH, and Zanesville, OH. In addition, projects on the Big Sandy River downstream of rivermile 9 (WV and KY) and the Ohio River upstream of rivermile 438 (WV, OH, and KY) also fall within the Huntington District Regulatory boundaries
The Huntington District Regulatory office is organized into three Branches: the Energy Resource Branch (projects in West Virginia and Ohio involving coal mining, natural gas extraction and transport, hydropower, wind power projects, power-generating facilities, etc.), the North Branch (non-energy projects in Ohio), the South/Transportation Branch (non-energy projects in West Virginia as well as all transportation projects for the entire States of Ohio and West Virginia).