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Compensatory Mitigation
The objective of the Clean Water Act is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters. Toward achievement of this goal, the Clean Water Act prohibits the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States unless a permit issued by the Army Corps of Engineers or approved State under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act authorizes such a discharge.
When there is a proposed discharge, the impact of the discharge must be avoided and minimized to the extent practicable. For unavoidable impacts, compensatory mitigation is required to replace the loss of wetland functions in the watershed. Compensatory mitigation is defined as the restoration, creation, enhancement, or in exceptional cases preservation of wetlands and/or other aquatic resources for the purpose of compensating for unavoidable impacts.
For additional information on Region 4's activities in compensatory mitigation in the southeast, please contact our Wetlands Mitigation and Assessment Coordinator.