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Wetlands and Permits Manual

Avoidance, Minimization and Temporary Impacts
Avoidance and Minimization
 
When waters of the State and U.S. have been identified, the project team must work to avoid and minimize impacts to wetlands and/or waters.   ODOT has developed an Avoidance and Minimization guidance document which outlines commonly used avoidance and minimization techniques associated with typical ODOT construction and maintenance activities.
 
Unavoidable impacts can be temporary or permanent. Both the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) broadly define temporary impacts as functions that can be restored within one year of project completion. Whether or not a particular impact will be considered temporary or permanent is up to the discretion of the Corps and DSL.
 
NCHRP has developed a digest that highlights different bridging methods and design considerations to avoid and minimize impacts to wetlands and waters during planning and construction.  NCHRP Project Results
 
Permanent impacts to wetlands require a Functional Assessment and Compensatory Mitigation.
 

Wetland Rehabilitation
 
The expectation of both the Corps and DSL is that the site will be restored to pre-construction conditions or better.
 
A restoration plan is required to be submitted with the joint permit application.  This ‘plan’ can be as simple as a brief description that includes species, spacing, and quantity or it can be a more detailed plan showing the physical location. For more complex or large temporary impacts use the Restoration Plan Template.
 

NOTE This template is not a requirement and should only be used if the restoration plan cannot be adequately described in the permit application.
 
 
 
 
ODOT has also developed guidance documents related to Restoration Planning for temporary impacts as well as Planting and Seeding Materials and Placement.