The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, announced yesterday that it has authority to issue alternative/emergency permitting procedures in response to conditions resulting from Hurricane Irma and recent heavy rains in south Florida.
According to the Corps, these alternate procedures will be effective for a six-month period.
The alternative/emergency procedures are used to authorize actions or work that is considered to be emergencies, which may include, but not limited to the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters for the United States, and work in navigable waters of the United States to include dredging to restore navigation and relieve flooding; stabilization of eroded shorelines; repair and replacement of authorized structures including docks and bulkheads; installing temporary utility lines and access roads; replacing existing roads and bridges; installing water intake structures, and removal and disposal of debris in waters.
USACE regulations define an emergency as a situation, which would result in an 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.