Army Corps of Engineers Listens to FOR
Credit: ACE Public Media (public domain).
On Monday, September 16, the State Water Resources Control Board “denied without prejudice” the water quality certification for the Sites Reservoir.
The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) is responsible for granting certification of state compliance with the federal Clean Water Act under Section 401. This certification determination also includes compliance with section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Section 404 is administered by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which found the 404 permit application of the Sites Authority was lacking critical information. On May 17, 2024, USACE informed the Authority that the request for a 404 permit for the Project was administratively withdrawn after USACE did not receive the requested information.
In April, Friends of the River and other environmental organizations submitted extensive comments to the USACE on the Sites Authority’s 404 permit application, requesting the Corps deny the application due to extensive environmental concerns. We also stated;
“we request the Corps delay issuance of the 404 permit until the Authority provides all legally required information and other regulatory processes are complete, such as the state water rights proceedings and state and federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance.”
The USACE has done so.
Friends of the River applauds the decision of the SWRCB to “deny without prejudice” the Sites Authority’s request for Clean Water Act certification under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, and the administrative withdrawal by the USACE, of the Sites Authority permit application under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
