San Francisco Bay In-Lieu Fee Program

The Ducks Unlimited (DU) San Francisco Bay In-Lieu Fee (ILF) Program sells Estuarine (Tidal) and Freshwater Wetland mitigation credits spanning the entire tidal-freshwater wetland continuum in the greater San Francisco Bay watershed.

By purchasing aquatic resource mitigation credits through the ILF Program, clients transfer legal obligations to provide mitigation to DU. By working with DU to satisfy your mitigation obligations, you are streamlining your obligations, often achieving costs savings over permittee-responsible mitigation, and advancing regional conservation objectives.

Qualifications of Sponsor

Ducks Unlimited is recognized as the world's largest private wetlands conservation organization and has over 85 years of experience restoring and protecting habitat, especially aquatic resources. DU applies a science-based, watershed approach to deliver restoration projects that span all types of coastal and inland wetlands, streams, riparian buffer, and upland habitats.

Ducks Unlimited has worked to conserve and restore thousands of acres of wetlands around the greater San Francisco Bay for over 25 years. Payments to the ILF Program will further DU’s mission to restore aquatic habitats for the benefit of waterfowl, shorebirds, fish, wildlife, and people, and will directly support the habitat conservation goals laid out in 30x30 California.

 

Credit Purchase Steps:

  1. Regulatory agency reviews proposed impacts and calculates required mitigation obligation. 
  2. Applicant confirms credit availability with DU and requests approval from the appropriate regulatory agency for purchase of ILF credits to meet mitigation obligation.
  3. Upon approval, the applicant provides DU with all permit details.
  4. The applicant purchases credit(s) and transfers funds to the ILF Program. 
  5. DU submits a credit sale letter to the Program’s Interagency Review Team, recording the transaction.

 

Credit Applicability:

San Francisco District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Permits (CWA Section 404 and RHA Section 10), San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board) Permits (CWA Section 401, Porter-Cologne Waste Discharge Requirements), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Region 9), and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 
The ILF Program may also be utilized by other public agency as a mitigation option, on a case-by-case basis.

 

Credit Reservation Options:

Upon regulatory agency approval, the ILF Program also allows for purchase of credits in advance of permit issuance (non-refundable), and under certain conditions credits may be reserved. Please reach out to the ILF Program contact for additional information on if this mechanism may be available to your project.

 

For more information contact:

Greg Lohse
Wetland Mitigation Specialist, Western Region Ducks Unlimited, Inc
Mobile: 530-228-3982
glohse@ducks.org

 

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