TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: The Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) has reissued the Regional General Permit (RGP) RGP-93 for FIND to conduct maintenance dredging activities along the East coast of Florida. The reissued RGP-93 became effective on January 30, 2024, and will expire on January 30, 2029
The reissued RGP also updates and reorganizes the permit terms and conditions. The RGP-93 authorizes only maintenance dredging of any of the aforementioned federal navigation projects in accordance with the limits of their Congressional authorization or as deepened or widened under a Department of the Army permit. The authorized work includes activities associated with maintenance dredging, including transportation methodology and use of pipelines, booster pumps, and associated dredged material transfer mechanisms, as well as beneficial reuse of dredged material in specified areas.
Pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. § 403), and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. §1344) the following activities are authorized by SAJ-93, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the permit authorizes the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) to perform maintenance dredging for the following locations in accordance with the terms and conditions of this permit:
The work authorized includes maintenance dredging of the following locations:
• AIWW, IWW, and OWW federal navigation channels, including channel wideners, along the east coast of Florida which includes the following counties: Nassau, Duval, St. Johns, Flagler, Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Hendry, Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade.
• The federal navigation projects are described below and in Table 1:
The 12-foot deep, 150-foot wide to 125-foot wide federal AIWW channel extending from the Georgia/Florida line in Nassau County to the St. Johns River in Jacksonville.
The 12-foot deep, 125-foot wide federal IWW channel extending from the St. Johns River in Jacksonville to the Fort Pierce Harbor Project in St. Lucie County.
o The 8-foot deep, 80-foot wide channel originating at the confluence of the Indian River Lagoon/IWW and the St. Lucie River in Martin County (“Crossroads”) to the St. Lucie Lock and Dam/eastern limit of St. Lucie Canal;
o The 8-foot deep, 100-foot wide channel originating from the St. Lucie Lock and Dam/eastern limit of St. Lucie Canal to the western Palm Beach County line across the middle of Lake Okeechobee (Route 1); and
o The 6-foot deep, 80-foot channel originating from the Port Mayaca Lock/western limit of St. Lucie Canal to the western Palm Beach County line along the southern shore of Lake Okeechobee (Route 2/Rim Canal).
o The 10-foot deep, 125-foot wide federal IWW channel from the Fort Pierce Harbor Project in St. Lucie County to the Miami Harbor in Miami-Dade County.
This permit authorizes only maintenance dredging of any of the aforementioned federal navigation projects in accordance with the limits of their Congressional authorization or as deepened or widened under a Department of the Army permit. Maintenance dredging of residential canals and/or flood control projects; “new” dredging to widen or deepen an existing federal navigation project, new access channels, and channel realignments; and removal of channel/canal plugs or connection of any canal or other waterway to navigable waters of the United States is not authorized herein.
This permit includes no limitation on volume; however, maintenance dredging is restricted to the amount necessary to restore the Congressionally authorized or permitted dimensions of the federal navigation channel allowing for a two-foot over-dredge. The use of dredging techniques such as geotechnical boring to determine sediment characteristics and suitability for disposal is a minor, routine activity associated with maintenance dredging and authorized under this permit.
Table 1. Federal Navigation Channels Within the Scope of RGP SAJ-93
| Federal Channel | Limits | Depth (feet) | Width (feet)1 | Approximate Side Slopes (DepthX3) (feet)2 |
| Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway | Florida state line to St. Johns River | 12 | 150-125 | 36 |
| Intracoastal Waterway | St. Johns River to Ft. Pierce. | 12 | 125 | 36 |
| Intracoastal Waterway | Ft. Pierce to Miami | 10 | 125 | 30 |
| Okeechobee Waterway | IWW (at St. Lucie Inlet) to St. Lucie Lock and Dam | 8 | 80 | 24 |
| Okeechobee Waterway | St. Lucie Lock and Dam to Clewiston (Route 1) | 8 | 100 | 24 |
| Okeechobee Waterway | St. Lucie Lock and Dam to Clewiston (Route 2) | 6 | 80 | 18 |
| 1Channel wideners are not shown in this table. |
| 2Actual horizontal width depends on bathymetry outside the federal project limits. |
This permit would authorize maintenance dredging within the AIWW, IWW, and OWW using hydraulic pipeline cutterhead suction dredge or mechanical clamshell dredge methodologies. Since dredging does not always result in a smooth and even channel bottom, a drag bar or chain may be dragged along the bottom, agitation or injection dredging may be used to smooth down high spots and fill in low areas. The proposed authorized work includes activities associated with maintenance dredging, including transportation methodology and use of pipelines, booster pumps, and associated dredged material transfer mechanisms. Pipelines may be submerged or floating, typically constructed of steel or high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with connecting steel collars. This permit would authorize pipeline sizes ranging from 12-inches to 24-inches in diameter. Dredging may require strategically locating booster pumps to facilitate pipeline disposal of the dredged material. Work vessels and activities typically include: the dredge vessel; booster pumps/small barges; push boats; scows/barges; crew transport/work vessels; spudding, anchoring, staging, and stockpile areas; loading/unloading areas; and associated vessel movements. Beneficial reuse of dredge material is allowed on the eight beaches identified in Table 2. Beneficial reuse of dredged material is also allowed within other Corps jurisdictional areas provided separate Department of Army authorization is obtained and the dredge material is consistent with that of the beneficial reuse sites. Decanted return water is allowed and must meet State Water Quality Standards as established by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP). The use of a Section 404-permitted DMMA to store and dewater the dredged material is authorized under this permit. The use of an upland disposal area that is not a Section 404-permitted DMMA shall be constructed with consideration of the existing onsite drainage patterns, and the Permittee shall provide verification no onsite or offsite adverse flooding conditions will result from the placement of dredged material. The use of dredging techniques such as geotechnical boring to determine sediment characteristics and suitability for disposal is a minor, routine activity associated with maintenance dredging and included in this authorization.
Table 2. Beach Placement Sites within the Scope of RGP SAJ-93
| DREDGE REACH | LOCATION | COUNTY | BEACH | FDEP RANGE MONUMENTS | LINEAR FT OF SHORELINE |
| N-II | Sawpit | Nassau Co. | Amelia Island | R-75 to R-78 | 3,000 |
| SJ-III | St Augustine Inlet Intersection | St. Johns Co. | Anastasia State Park | R-84 to R-122 R-123 to R-152 | 38,000 29,000 |
| SJ-V | Matanzas | St. Johns Co. | Summer Haven | R-205 to R-208 | 3,000 |
| V-IV | Volusia/Ponce | Volusia Co. | New Smyrna | R-161 to R-189.5 | 28,500 |
| M-ll | Crossroads | Martin Co. | Hobe Sound NWR | R-59 to R-80 | 21,000 |
| P-I-IV | Jupiter | Palm Beach Co. | Jupiter | R-13 to R-19 | 4,000 |
| P-lV | Ocean Ridge/South Lake Worth Inlet | Palm Beach Co. | Ocean Hammock Park | R-155 to R-122 R-123 to R-152 | 2,050 |
| MD-II | Baker’s Haulover | Miami-Dade Co. | Bal Harbor | R-28 to R-32 | 4,000 |
The complete RGP-93 permit instrument, with all terms and conditions, is located on the Jacksonville District Source Book page under “General Permits” (https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Source-Book/).
QUESTIONS concerning this public notice should be directed to Linda C. Knoeck by electronic mail at Linda.C.Knoeck@usace.army.mil or by telephone at (561)472-3506.