US Army Corps and Michigan EGLE explain dock, seawall and dredging permits for St. Clair Shores

Representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy briefed the St. Clair Shores City Council on how they review and permit work in Lake St. Clair, connected canals and adjacent wetlands.

The presentation described the authorities that trigger federal and state review (Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act), the types of projects that typically need permits (docks, boat hoists, seawalls, dredging, riprap and utility crossings) and how applicants should apply and coordinate with agencies and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Why it matters: many homeowners, contractors and marinas in St. Clair Shores seek permits to repair or extend docks, replace seawalls or dredge canal mouths. Permitting affects when work can occur (for example, DNR dredging windows tied to fish spawning), whether projects require public notice and which conditions or inspections will be imposed.

Sean Sanchez of the Army Corps’ Detroit District said the Corps’ regulatory program uses two primary federal authorities. “We have section 10 and the Rivers and Harbors Act,” he said, describing that authority as focused on navigable waters such as Lake St. Clair, and noting that “section 404 of the Clean Water Act … includes adjacent wetlands.” Sanchez emphasized the Corps’ goal to “make permit decisions in a reasonable, you know, fair, balanced” way and said jurisdiction commonly reaches lakefront, canal mouths and the more waterward portions of tributaries.

Sanchez outlined Corps permit types: verification of general, regional or nationwide permits for minor activities, individual permits for larger projects,…