ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE PERMIT APPLICANT’S …

1 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE PERMIT applicant s HANDBOOK VOLUME I (GENERAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ) This Volume, including Appendices G, H, and I only is incorporated by reference in subsection (4), Effective ____December 22, 2020_____ FOR: FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION NORTHWEST FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT SUWANNEE RIVER WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT ST. JOHNS RIVER WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT applicant s Handbook Volume I December 22, 2020 i TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I -- BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURES.

2 4 Introduction .. 4 Overview of applicant s 5 Contacts and Division of 6 Other Authorizations and Relationship to Other Governmental Entities .. 7 Statutes and Rules .. 12 Enforcement Authority .. 18 Permission to Inspect, Monitor and Sample .. 18 Definitions and Terms .. 1 Regulated Activities .. 1 Permits Not Required .. 1 6 Permits Required .. 14 Conceptual Approval Permits .. 16 Preparation and Submittal of Applications and Notices .. 1 Pre-application Conference .. 1 Forms and Submittal Instructions .. 1 Processing Fees .. 7 Submittal of Applications, Notices, and Petitions .. 7 Processing of, and Agency Action on, Applications and Notices.

3 1 General Procedures .. 1 Review of an Exemption Determination Request .. 1 Review of Request to Use a General PERMIT .. 1 Publishing Notices of Exemptions and General Permits .. 2 Processing Individual and Conceptual Approval PERMIT Applications .. 2 Activities on State-owned Submerged 7 Duration, Operation, Modification, and Transfer of PERMIT .. 1 Duration of Permits .. 1 Modification of Permits .. 3 Transfers of Permits and Changes in Ownership .. 4 Removal and Abandonment .. 5 Determinations of the Landward Extent of Wetlands and Other Surface Waters .. 1 Methodology .. 1 Formal Determinations.

4 3 Informal Determinations.. 9 PART II -- CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION .. 1 Criteria for Evaluation .. 1 Purpose .. 1 Criteria for Evaluation .. 1 State Water Quality Standards .. 3 RESERVED .. 1 applicant s Handbook Volume I December 22, 2020 ii PART III ENVIRONMENTAL .. 1 ENVIRONMENTAL Considerations .. 1 Wetlands and other surface waters .. 1 ENVIRONMENTAL Criteria .. 2 Mitigation .. 24 PART IV -- EROSION AND SEDIMENT CONTROL .. 1 Erosion and Sediment Control .. 1 Overview .. 1 Development of an Erosion and Sediment Control plan .. 2 Development of a Stormwater Pollution Prevention plan (SWPPP) for NPDES Requirements.

5 2 Sediment Sump Design Example .. 6 PART V OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE-SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS .. 1 Operation and Maintenance Requirements .. 1 Responsibilities .. 1 Procedures for Requesting Conversion from the Construction Phase to the Operation and Maintenance Phase 1 Operation and Maintenance Entities .. 4 Minimum Operation and Maintenance Standards .. 7 Reporting .. 9 Recording of Operation and Maintenance Documents and Notice of PERMIT .. 10 Subsequent Transfers .. 10 APPENDIX A .. 1 CONTACT INFORMATION AND MAPS FOR AGENCIES IMPLEMENTING THE ERP PROGRAM .. 1 APPENDIX B .. 1 OPERATING AND DELEGATION AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT, WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS, and DELEGATED LOCAL GOVERNMENTS.

6 1 APPENDIX C .. 1 FORMS .. 1 APPENDIX D .. 1 PROCESSING FEES .. 1 APPENDIX E .. 1 OPERATING AGREEMENT BETWEEN .. 1 JACKSONVILLE DISTRICT USACE, DEP, AND ALL WMDS .. 1 [Appendices E, F, G, H, I, J and K are located in a separate document because of size; .. 1 applicant s Handbook Volume I December 22, 2020 iii title pages are included here because they are all part of applicant s Handbook, Volume I] .. 1 APPENDIX F .. 1 Bald and Golden eagle Protection Act .. 1 APPENDIX G .. 1 USFWS Habitat Management Guidelines for the Wood Stork in the Southeast Region .. 1 APPENDIX H .. 1 National Bald eagle Management Guidelines.

7 1 APPENDIX I .. 1 Mine Stormwater Management Systems .. 1 APPENDIX J .. 2 Chapter 62-340, Data Form 2 APPENDIX K .. 1 Chapter 62-340, Data Form Instructions .. 1 Volume I December 22, 2020 1- 4 PART I -- BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURES Introduction The Florida Department of ENVIRONMENTAL Protection ( Department or DEP ) and Florida s five water management districts ( Districts or WMDs ) developed this applicant s Handbook to help persons understand the rules, procedures, standards, and criteria that apply to the ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE PERMIT (ERP) program under Part IV of Chapter 373 of the Florida Statutes ( ).

8 The Department and each of the Districts implement the ERP program. Several local governments also implement the ERP program under the delegated authority in Section , The applicant s Handbook refers to these entities collectively as Agencies and also refers to one or more water management districts as District or Districts (capitalized), respectively. The term district (lower case) generally refers to the main or field offices of either the Department or District. These and other terms are defined in Section of this volume of the applicant s Handbook (hereinafter referred to as Volume I, or this volume ).

9 Part IV of Chapter 373, , regulates the construction, alteration, operation, maintenance, abandonment and removal (hereinafter referred to as activities ) of stormwater management systems, dams, impoundments, reservoirs, works and appurtenant works (hereinafter referred to as projects ). Such projects include dredging and filling in wetlands and other surface waters, as those terms are defined in Sections (13) and (14), The primary ERP program rules are adopted by DEP as Chapter 62-330, of the Florida Administrative Code ( ), and are also rules of the Districts and delegated local governments in accordance with the authority under Section , The applicant s Handbook is incorporated by reference in subsection (4), , and therefore operates as a rule of the Agencies.

10 The Districts are: Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD) St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) and South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Responsibilities of these Agencies are divided in accordance with Operating and Delegation Agreements incorporated by reference in Chapter 62-113, , accessible at: These Agreements operate so that only one agency is responsible for permitting, compliance, and enforcement of an activity, and identify which Agency is responsible for the various types of activities.