Activities such as mining (photographed), hydraulic

Activities such as mining (photographed), hydraulic fracturing, processing chemicals and even just building homes can impair local rivers, streams and wetlands. Before anyone may legally proceed with such activities, a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is often required to satisfy certain conditions of the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899. Both regulations seek to protect various types of water resources against damage. “We first try to avoid impacts all together which could be accomplished by recommending changes to a design or modifying an activity. If impacts cannot be avoided, we try to minimize them. Finally, if there truly are unavoidable impacts, we may not grant a permit at all or we may grant a permit but will require compensatory mitigation,” Jim Spence, a regulatory project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said.