Electronic Permit Guidebook

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Glossary and Acronyms

Acronym or Abbreviation Abbreviation Spelled Out Definition
401 401 Water Quality Certification a permit issued by DOE in conjunction with our 404 permit; under the authority of Section 401 of the Clean Water Act
402 Section 402 of the Clean Water Act the section of the CWA regarding the dumping of waste material into waters of the U.S.
404(b)(1) 404(b)(1) Analysis document detailing how the project meets the Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines published by the EPA, this includes an alternatives analysis
BA Biological Assessment an analysis documenting impacts to endangered species, usually for EIS projects
BE Biological Evaluation an analysis documenting impacts of a project on endangered species
BO Biological Opinion a document issued by USFWS or NMFS making a formal opinion on the impacts a project may have on endangered species
Corps U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Federal agency under the Department of the Army
CFR Code of Federal Regulations the reference for all of the Federal Regulations
cfs cubic feet per second In hydrologic terms, a unit expressing rates of discharge
CWA Clean Water Act one of the two main laws used by the Corps
CZM Coastal Zone Management a Federal permitting program delegated to the DOE; relates to shoreline permits for all the coastal counties
DA Department of the Army the branch of military under which the Corps resides
DE District Engineer Commander of the Seattle District Corps of Engineers
DMMO Dredged Material Management Office a department of the Seattle District administering the Dredged Material Management Program
DMMP Dredged Material Management Program a program regarding open water disposal of dredged material in the Puget Sound; this is administered by DMMO
DNR WA ST Dept of Natural Resources a state agency which deals with logging activities and PSDDA activities
DOE WA ST Dept of Ecology a state agency which administers 401 WQC and CZM
EA Environmental Assessment a document which reviews the environmental impacts of a project
EIS Environmental Impact Statement a document which reviews, in depth, the environmental impacts of a project
EPA Environmental Protection Agency Federal agency primarily responsible for protecting the environment
GP General Permit a type of permit with minor impacts; there are two types NWPs and RGPs
HPA Hydraulic Project Approval a permit issued by WDFW regarding work performed within waters of the state of Washington
IP Individual Permit a type of permit the Regulatory Branch issues; usually involves coordination with other resource agencies and a detailed environmental review; includes LOPs and SIPs
JARPA Joint Aquatic Resources Permit Application pronounced "jar-pa"; a permit application which an applicant can complete and submit to the Corps, WDFW, and the local government
LOP Letter of Permission a type of IP; a permit usually associated with small pier projects
MHHW mean higher high water the average higher high tide at a benchmark over a period of 20 years
MHW mean high water the average high tide at a benchmark over a period of 20 years
MLLW mean lower low water tidal level data used for the Puget Sound area
NGVD National Geodetic Vertical Datum A vertical geodetic datum formerly called "Sea Level Datum of 1929" or "mean sea level". The datum was found by averaging the sea level over a period of many years at 26 tide stations along the coasts of the US and Canada. Because it is an average, it does not represent the local mean sea level at any particular place.
NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service pronounced "nymphs"; a Federal agency dealing with Federally listed endangered fish species
NOAA National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration pronounced "noah"; NMFS is a department within this large Federal agency
NRCS Natural Resouces Conservation Service a Federal agency dealing with agricultural issues
NWP Nationwide Permits a form of general permit which authorizes a category of activities throughout the nation
NWD Northwestern Division Divison headquarters of the Corps which oversee Portland, Seattle, Omaha, Kansas City, and Walla Walla Districts
NWS Northwestern Seattle another name for Seattle District
OCE Office of the Chief of Engineers top of the Corps in Washington DC
OHW ordinary high water the average water level height of a freshwater body
PAO Public Affairs Office a department of the Seattle District dealing with public affair issues
PM project manager the person managing a permit or enforcement action
PN Public Notice a document which describes the proposed project; the document is sent out to agencies and the public
ORMS OMBIL Regulatory Module the computer database program for all regulatory actions
RGL Regulatory Guidance Letter developed by Corps Headquarters as a system to organize and track written guidance issued to Districts and Divisions
RGP Regional General Permit a type of permit with minor impacts similar in nature
SHPO State Historic Preservation Office state agency dealing with cultural resources and historic properties
SIP Standard Individual Permit a permit the Regulatory Branch processes; is the most environmentally detailed type of permit; usually for larger projects
SOP Standard Operating Procedure instructions and/or guidance for procedures
USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Federal agency under the Department of the Army
USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service a Federal agency which deals with federally listed endangered species
WDFW WA ST Dept of Fish and Wildlife a state agency which deals with the fish and wildlife in the state of Washington
WES Waterways Experiment Station pronounced "wes"; a department of the Corps located in Huntsville, Alabama; is the research part of the entire national Corps system
WET Wetland Evaluation Technique a method to identify and quantify the functions of a wetland system
WQC Water Quality Certification the same thing as a 401 Certification