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
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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
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