EPA REGION VII IRC 069176 &EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water (WH-556F), Office of Wetlands, Oceans. and Watersheds (A-104 F) EPA843-F-93-001bb March 1993 WETLANDS FACT SHEET #28 Advance Identification (ADID) Advance Identification of disposal areas (ADID) is an advance planning process under which EPA, in cooperation with the Corps of Engineers and after consultation with the State, may identify wetlands and other waters which are either gener- ally suitable or unsuitable for the discharge of dredged and fill material prior to the receipt of a Section 404 permit applica- tion. The ADID process gener- ally involves collection and dis- tribution of information on the values and functions of wetland areas. This information pro- vides the local community with information on the values of wetland areas that may be af- fected by their activities as well as a preliminary indication of factors which are likely to be considered during review of a Section 404 permit application. lixperience shows that local cooperation and sup- port are vital to the suc- cess of the ADID project. Recently, ADID's have been initiated by local en- tities in order to facilitate local planning efforts. While an ADID study generally classifies wetland areas as suitable or unsuitable for the discharge of dredged or fill material, the classifi- cation does not constitute either a permit ap- proval or denial and should be used only as a guide by landowners and project pro- ponents in the planning of fu- ture activities. The nature of the classification is strictly ad- visory. The ADID process is in- tended to add predictability to the wetlands permitting pro- cess as well as better account for the impacts of losses from multiple projects within a geo- graphic area. The process also serves to inform the local popu- lation of the values and func- tions of wetlands in their area, and it generates environmental information valuable for other purposes. These efforts have proven to be the most successful iv.iy for generating sup- port for wetlands protec- Because they are usu- • ally based on watershed planning, ADIDef tofts j re extremely compatible with geographic and eco- system initiatives such as H'A's Watershed Protec- tion Approach. As of December 1992, there were 35 completed ADID projects, and 36 are ongoing. ADID projects have ranged in size from less than 100 acres to greater that 4,000 square miles, and are located from Alaska to Florida. Advance Identifica- tion projects can be resource intensive activities, although some have been completed in as little as 6 months. Regional experience seems to indicate that the smaller or more local the ADID project boundaries, the more complete and effec- tive the ADID analysis and re- sults. EPA has seen an in- crease in interest in ADID, and expects more States, localities, and private organizations to become involved in providing funds and otherwise support- ing ADID or other comprehen- sive planning efforts. M-ehensive plan, and land use law* FOR MORE INFORMATION: call the EPA Wetlands Hotline* at 1-800-832-7828 'contractor operated t Printed on Recycled Paper ------- Status of EPA Wetlands Advance Identification Projects - February 1993 SIZE(sq.ml.) - <100 «100-1,000 - > 1,000 STATUS • Ongoing - Complete U.S. EPA, Office of Water, OWOW, Wetlands Division ------- |