Regulatory Coordination Request

Applicants seeking a Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Aquatic Resource Alteration Permit (ARAP)/Section 401 Water Quality Certification and a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Clean Water Act Section 404 Permit can request a regulatory coordination meeting if the proposal is complex and/or a large-scale project with the potential to significantly impact water resources, especially those in which permittee-responsible mitigation (PRM) is proposed. If you have a project proposal that meets a category listed below, you may request a regulatory coordination meeting with TDEC and USACE personnel on one of the dates provided below.

1. Complex Projects
2. Dual TDEC/USACE jurisdiction
3. Impacts exceed TDEC General ARAP conditions and require a USACE Nationwide Permit or a 404 Individual Permit 
4. Potential for cumulative impacts (TDEC Memo-Clarification on Cumulative Impact Assessment and
   Aquatic Resource Alteration Activities Associated with a Common Plan of Development)
5. May require compensatory mitigation by one or both agencies to offset adverse environmental impacts to waters of the state or waters of the U.S.
6. Permittee-Responsible Mitigation:
7. Projects seeking aquatic resource mitigation to offset adverse environmental impacts through PRM
8. Requires a site visit before permit authorization

Before requesting a pre-application meeting, consider whether your project can benefit from regulatory coordination. If your project is accepted for a pre-application meeting, you will be provided up to one hour to make an informal presentation to overview:

• The scope and size of the project
• The purpose and need for the project
• Alternatives considered
• Water resources that will be impacted
• Presence of threatened and endangered species or their habitat

In return you will receive input from the regulatory agencies related to regulatory project review and potential mitigation requirements. Applicants are encouraged to use the PRM guidance document to create a compensatory mitigation plan.

To request a pre-application meeting please fill out the REQUEST FOR REGULATORY COORDINATION (form CN-1610) and submit by e-mail to water.permits@tn.gov AND NashvilleRegulatory@usace.army.mil.

You may be contacted for additional information before a meeting can be scheduled.

→Please submit your requests for regulatory coordination meetings at least two weeks in advance of the meeting date for which you are applying.←

Additional Information:

TDEC's Aquatic Resource Alteration Program

USACE Section 404 Permitting Program

EPA Section 404 Permit Program