Revised Definition of ‘Waters of the United States’; Conforming was published in the Federal Register on September 8, 2023. View the Corps announcement 8 September 2023 - EPA and the Army Issue Final Rule to Amend 2023 Rule and related announcements about Waters of the United States (WOTUS) on the the USACE Headquarters Regulatory Announcements page.

Regulatory Program Notices

Below are regulatory announcements, in chronological order, which are both current and historical. Current announcements provide information regarding ongoing regulatory processes and happenings. Historical announcements remain posted, as long as they remain up-to-date and applicable, to provide the public with a transparent record of changes and improvements to our program.   Regulatory image of trees over a creek

Monthly Kaizen Meetings for 2024

Portland District Corps of Engineers
Published Dec. 1, 2023

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District (Corps), the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL), and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) jointly welcome  prospective Clean Water Act § 404 and Oregon’s Removal-Fill permit applicants to meet with the agencies as part of regularly scheduled interagency preapplication meetings, known as “Kaizen.” The meetings supplement existing preapplication coordination led by the Corps, DSL and DEQ. The Kaizen pre-application process is intended for non-routine permit evaluations that may be large, complex, or controversial in nature. The intent of the meetings is provide meaningful comment and feedback to prospective applicants early in the permitting process, to help them most effectively prepare permit applications and address agency concerns. Participating state and federal agencies have a standing monthly meeting for prospective applicants to discuss their proposed project, hear feedback, and share information.

2024 Meeting Schedule
Meetings are held on the third Wednesday of every month from 1 to 3 p.m. Project discussion will occur between 1 to 2 p.m., or from 2 to 3 p.m. All meetings are held virtually.

Meeting Dates and Agency Host
January 17, 2024- DSL
February 21, 2024- DEQ
March 20, 2024- Corps
April 17, 2024- DSL
May 15, 2024- DEQ
June 19, 2024- Corps
July 17, 2024- DSL
August 21, 2024- DEQ
September 18, 2024- Corps
October 16, 2024- DSL
November 20, 2024- DEQ
December 18, 2024- Corps

Will Attending a Kaizen Meeting Be Beneficial?
Prospective applicants interested in a Kaizen pre-application meeting should work with their points of contact at the Corps, DSL or DEQ and review online project screening tools prior to requesting time at a monthly agency meeting. The screening tools, known as the matrix and accompanying matrix user’s guide, are available under Resources in the right-hand column of this page. The matrix will help prospective applicants assess if a Kaizen pre-application meeting will be beneficial to their project development. Even if the applicant opts to not have a
Kaizen pre-application meeting, the information contained in the matrix and user’s guide may be helpful for any project potentially needing a § 404 permit (and associated § 401 Water Quality Certification) or a Removal-Fill Permit, and a less formal pre-application meeting may still be appropriate. The screening tools are intended primarily for use by large-scale, controversial, or complex projects. The tools are available for any potential applicant or agency staff person to use and can be scaled down to assess the risks associated with less complex
or less controversial projects.

Preparing for Meetings
The meetings are designed to assess draft information, and prospective attendees are asked to provide basic project information, in the form of responses to a standard set of questions, at least two weeks prior to the meeting.

Participating agencies
. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Portland District
. Oregon Department of State Lands (Removal-Fill & State-Owned Land)
. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
. U.S. EPA – Region 10 Oregon Operations Office
. NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service
. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
. Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries
. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
. Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development
. Oregon Water Resources Department
. Oregon State Marine Board
. City of Portland (for projects within City of Portland limits)
*Not every agency will be present for every project. They will participate when their
jurisdiction applies.

For more information, please contact:
Melody White, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District
Phone: 503-201-0797
Email: melody.j.white@usace.army.mil

Haley Teach, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Phone: 503-229-5051
Email: Haley.Teach@deq.oregon.gov

Bethany Harrington, Oregon Department of State Lands
Phone: 541-325-6171
Email: Bethany.harrington@dsl.oregon.gov