GALVESTON, Texas (April 21, 2016) – The U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers Galveston District issued a special public notice in response to severe flooding and other storm-related damages that
occurred in communities along the Texas coast to provide guidance and a summary
of exemptions and permits, which may be required for the protection and repair
of existing flood damaged structures, damaged land areas and damaged fills.
“We
want those affected by the Houston area flood event to know that there are
existing permitting tools that allow residents to immediately rebuild
structures located in waters of the United States, to pre-existing conditions
without having to notify and receive permission from the Regulatory Division,”
said Kim Baggette, chief of the United States Army Corps of Engineers Galveston
District's Regulatory Division.
According
to Baggette, a torrential rainfall
event totaling 18 inches
that occurred this week resulted in record flooding along a
sizable area of the Houston metro area and rising waters to historic levels in
some areas.
“We anticipate several county
agencies, municipalities and owners of damaged property will want to conduct
repair activities in the near future and we want to provide them with
information to help them navigate through the required federal processes where
applicable,” said Baggette. “A Corps Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act
and/or Section 404 Clean Water Act permit may be required for dredging or
placing fill in waters of the United States, including rivers, lakes, streams,
creeks and wetlands however,
many of the permits have scopes of work and thresholds that allow you to
accomplish your project without delay or waiting for an authorization.”
Baggette explained that USACE
engineers are authorized to approve special processing procedures in emergency
situations (unacceptable hazard to life, a significant loss of property or an
immediate, unforeseen and significant economic hardship) if corrective action
requiring a permit is not undertaken within a time period less than the normal
time needed to process the application under standard procedures. All regular permitting
and regulatory processes apply for those activities that are not emergency
protective measures.
“Communities
should keep the long-term recovery requirements in mind as they move through
the initial construction stages of emergency protective measures,” said
Baggette. “I encourage interested persons to review the special notice in its entirety
for more information about existing regulations.”
The Special Notice
for Flood Recovery and Repair Activities in the Galveston District is available
at http://1.usa.gov/1TiEkfm.
For more news and information, visit www.swg.usace.army.mil.
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