Audubon CT In Lieu Fee (ACT ILF) Grant Program

The Audubon Connecticut In Lieu Fee Program (ACT ILF) is an option for compensatory mitigation for unavoidable impacts to waters of the United States in the State of Connecticut. Permits are required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“Corps”) through the Clean Water Act (“CWA”) Section 404 for discharge of dredge or fill materials within “waters of the U.S.” and through Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act which addresses structures or work in or affecting navigable waters of the US. The Corps requires that aquatic resource functions and values lost due to the effects of any regulated activity be replaced through compensatory mitigation, after addressing avoidance and minimization of impacts.

The ACT ILF program contains six (6) service areas that cover the entire state of Connecticut (See Attached Service Area Map).  The goal of the program is to sell credits from those service areas to permittees whose projects may impact federal wetland and watercourse resources within the respective service area.  The money generated via the sale of those credits is then made available via a grant program to solicit and fund wetland restoration, creation, enhancement, and preservation projects within the service area.  Credit costs must reflect real project costs for such activities.

In some cases, compensatory mitigation can include preservation of uplands directly adjacent to wetland and watercourse systems, if it can be shown that said uplands are under immediate threat of development or other adverse impacts that may impact the receptor resources.  As a result, monies collected via the sale of ILF credits may then be made available via the grant program to eligible applicants seeking to acquire lands for preservation in perpetuity.   Many of the Land Trusts in CT have used ILF grants to fund the acquisition and preservation of new land holdings.

Sincerely,

Anthony Zemba Senior Environmental Analyst

Sr. Ecologist / Soil Scientist

CT Wetland In Lieu Fee Grant Program Manager

LANDTECH

518 Riverside Avenue  Westport, CT 06880

203-454-2110 X190 Office

860-306-0925 Cell              azemba@landtechconsult.com        www.landtechconsult.com

facebook.com/landtechconsult