SPECIAL PUBLIC NOTICE Monthly Federal-State Interagency Coordination and Pre-Application Meetings
Issue Date: December 3, 2025
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 Corps Regulatory Program 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 to 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.
2026 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 21, 2026-DSL
February 18, 2026-DEQ
March 18,2026-Corps
April 15, 2026-DSL
May 20, 2026-DEQ
June 17, 2026-Corps
July 15, 2026-DSL
August 19, 2026-DEQ
September 16, 2026-Corps
October 21, 2026-DSL
November 18, 2026-DEQ
December 16, 2026-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: https://www.oregon.gov/dsl/wetlands-waters/pages/pre-app-meetings.aspx
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 Clean Water Act (CWA) § 404 permit (and associated CWA § 401 Water Quality Certification), Rivers and Harbors Act § 10 Permit or a DSL 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. Environmental Protection Agency – 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 as schedules allow and 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
Charles Redon, Oregon Department of State Lands
Phone: 503-302-6045
Email: Charles.Redon@dsl.oregon.gov