If I live on the water, but have no dock and no stake in having the channel dredged, do I need to participate in the Umbrella Permitting process?
No. You can disregard the City’s letter and notice.
FAQ Topic: Dredging Umbrella Permits
Will the actual dredge costs for parcels with contaminated sediment be higher than for those without contamination, given that their dredged material would need to be disposed of differently?
That is correct.
If USACE is performing the sediment testing, then is the $40-70k cost of the umbrella permit cited in the City’s letter assuming that we don’t have to perform any of the sediment testing for our piggy-back permit?
That is correct. The sediment quality approval process under the umbrella permit would take advantage of a testing exemption allowed for in the EPA guidelines that allows for a report to filed referencing the USACE testing results. This exemption report is included in the umbrella permit cost. However, if USACE finds contamination in the main … Continued
Is the initial Umbrella Permit costs in any way affected if there is discovery of contaminated sediment in a portion of the channel? If yes, would the cost of the umbrella permit be allocated in such a way that the owners of parcels near the contaminated sediment would be paying a higher rate than the owners of the parcels not near the contaminated sediment?
Permit acquisition would not be affected by any detected contamination, but the sediment quality approval required by the permits would be. Yes, any homeowners near areas in the main channel that the USACE testing shows to be contaminated would be responsible for additional testing near the dock that would hopefully show the contamination does not … Continued
If property owners don’t participate in the umbrella permit at this time, can they add their names once it’s determined when the dredge would actually occur? Some homes might change homeowners during before the basin dredge occurs, so are new homeowners precluded from participating at a later date?
The City wanted to start the permit process now so that dock owners would be cleared to dredge when the USACE started. The FY2021 Work Plan began on Oct. 1. It is still not clear whether they will have funding available after the Work Plan’s priority projects (i.e. Oakland and Richmond Harbors) are completed. If … Continued
Does USACE pulling their own permit for the federal channel dredge or will they use the same permitting consultant as the City?
The USACE pulls their own permits, but will rely on a consultant for their sediment quality approval. They have not selected that consultant yet.
Is the intent to use the same contractor for personal basin dredges as the main channel?
Yes. The City is working with the USACE so that the dock owners can “piggyback” on the main channel project using the same contractor that the USACE uses, which will result in both scale savings and savings associated with the elimination of mobilization cost.
Under this umbrella permit, will the actual dredge be performed by the same contractor, so all of the homeowners who sign on will be automatically dredged together?
The City is working with the USACE so that the dock owners can “piggyback” on the main channel project using the same contractor that the USACE uses, which will result in both scale savings and savings associated with the elimination of mobilization cost.
The last time we dredged, our dredge contractor did the permitting. What are the pros and cons of having the dredge contractor perform this work, instead of signing up through the City’s umbrella permitting process?
There is a pro in this approach if a HOA or property owner wants to undertake the dredging on their own without piggybacking on the Corps dredging of the federal channel with the other dock owners on the Canal. If a dredging contractor was doing your dredging independently, they would probably do the permitting at … Continued
The City gives a cost range for the permit fees of $40-70k. Is this based on the amount of dredge material or the number of dredgees? For example, if fewer people decided to be part of the umbrella permit, would those participating have to share in the same $40-70k costs of the permitting?
The umbrella permitting cost will be dependent on the number of dredgees. The permitting process will include the acquisition of all permits PLUS the sediment quality approval. The future umbrella DREDGE CONTRACTOR cost will be based on the amount of dredge material and will be split between between all permitted dredgees.