Description

Watch the recording of the webinar here.

Monthly webinars are offered as a benefit of membership. Once each quarter, in March, July, September and December, the monthly SWS webinar is open for non-members to attend (and at no cost), as well.

USACE Jurisdictional Determination Requests and Waters of the U.S. Definition 

Applying for a Jurisdictional Determination (JD) from the US Army Corps of Engineers can be a complex and confusing process with very little published guidance on exactly what is needed. Further, some USACE Districts have localized requirements and preferences on how and what to submit. Failing to meet these expectations may cause unnecessary delays in requests and may lead to significant changes to the proposed delineation. This talk will provide an overview of the general process for submitting Approved and Preliminary JDs, what information should be provided along with those requests, and how to navigate local requirements (using the New Orleans District as an example). Additionally, the definition of a federally regulated Water of the US (WOTUS) has undergone some recent and significant changes. Guidance will be provided on how best to stay current with the rules and how best to adapt existing delineation reports to the changes. [Please note that with the dynamic changes to federal wetland regulations, specifics of this talk may change very close to the presentation. All reasonable effort will be made to keep it current].

Presenter: Jonathan G. Barmore, USACE New Orleans District - Regulatory Division

Jon Barmore is a wetland biologist who has worked throughout the Eastern US and in a variety of academic, government, and private consulting positions. His field experience covers from the mountains of western North Carolina, to the sandy beaches of coastal Florida, to the deep swamps and bayous of southern Louisiana. He has worked on large scale coastal restoration and river diversion projects, mitigation bank establishment, wetland permitting, and jurisdictional determinations. His career includes working for Tulane University, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Services Inc, and the US Army Corps of Engineers. He currently is a senior botanist in the Jurisdiction and Enforcement Branch of the New Orleans District of the USACE.