Ohio Code § 6111.30

§ 6111.30.

(A) Applications for a section 401 water quality certification required under division (O) of section 6111.03 of the Revised Code shall be submitted on forms provided by the director of environmental protection

and shall include all information required on those forms as well as all of the following: (1) A copy of a letter from the United States army corps of engineers documenting its

jurisdiction over the wetlands, streams, or other waters of the state that are the

subject of the section 401 water quality certification application; (2) If the project involves impacts to a wetland, a wetland characterization analysis

consistent with the Ohio rapid assessment method; (3) If the project involves a stream for which a specific aquatic life use designation

has not been made, data sufficient to determine the existing aquatic life use; (4) A specific and detailed mitigation proposal, including the location and proposed

real estate instrument or other available mechanism for protecting the property long

term; (5) Applicable fees; (6) Site photographs; (7) Adequate documentation confirming that the applicant has requested comments from

the department of natural resources and the United States fish and wildlife service

regarding threatened and endangered species, including the presence or absence of

critical habitat; (8) Descriptions, schematics, and appropriate economic information concerning the applicant's

preferred alternative, nondegradation alternatives, and minimum degradation alternatives

for the design and operation of the project; (9) The applicant's investigation report of the waters of the United States in support

of a section 404 permit application concerning the project; (10) A copy of the United States army corps of engineers' public notice regarding the

section 404 permit application concerning the project. (B) Not later than fifteen business days after the receipt of an application for a section

401 water quality certification, the director shall review the application to determine

if it is complete and shall notify the applicant in writing as to whether the application

is complete.  If the director fails to notify the applicant within fifteen business days regarding

the completeness of the application, the application is considered complete.  If the director determines that the application is not complete, the director shall

include with the written notification an itemized list of the information or materials

that are necessary to complete the application.  If the applicant fails to provide the information or materials within sixty days

after the director's receipt of the application, the director may return the incomplete

application to the applicant and take no further action on the application.  If the application is returned to the applicant because it is incomplete, the director

shall return the review fee levied under division (A)(1), (2), or (3) of section 3745.114

of the Revised Code to the applicant, but shall retain the application fee levied

under that section. (C) Not later than twenty-one days after a determination that an application is complete

under division (B) of this section, the applicant shall publish public notice of the

director's receipt of the complete application in a newspaper of general circulation

in the county in which the project that is the subject of the application is located.  The public notice shall be in a form acceptable to the director.  The applicant shall promptly provide the director with proof of publication.  The applicant may choose, subject to review by and approval of the director, to

include in the public notice an advertisement for an antidegradation public hearing

on the application pursuant to section 6111.12 of the Revised Code .  There shall be a public comment period of thirty days following the publication

of the public notice. (D) If the director determines that there is significant public interest in a public

hearing as evidenced by the public comments received concerning the application and

by other requests for a public hearing on the application, the director or the director's

representative shall conduct a public hearing concerning the application.  Notice of the public hearing shall be published by the applicant, subject to review

and approval by the director, at least thirty days prior to the date of the hearing

in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the project that is the

subject of the application is to take place.  If a public hearing is requested concerning an application, the director shall accept

comments concerning the application until five business days after the public hearing.  A public hearing conducted under this division shall take place not later than one

hundred days after the application is determined to be complete. (E) The director shall forward all public comments concerning an application submitted

under this section that are received through the public involvement process required

by rules adopted under this chapter to the applicant not later than five business

days after receipt of the comments by the director. (F) The applicant shall respond in writing to written comments or to deficiencies identified

by the director during the course of reviewing the application not later than fifteen

days after receiving or being notified of them. (G) The director shall issue or deny a section 401 water quality certification not later

than one hundred eighty days after the complete application for the certification

is received.  The director shall provide an applicant for a section 401 water quality certification

with an opportunity to review the certification prior to its issuance. (H) The director shall maintain an accessible database that includes environmentally

beneficial water restoration and protection projects that may serve as potential mitigation

projects for projects in the state for which a section 401 water quality certification

is required.  A project's inclusion in the database does not constitute an approval of the project. (I) Mitigation required by a section 401 water quality certification may be accomplished

by any of the following: (1) Purchasing credits at a mitigation bank approved in accordance with 33 C.F.R. 332.8 ; (2) Participating in an in-lieu fee mitigation program approved in accordance with 33 C.F.R. 332.8 ; (3) Constructing individual mitigation projects. Notwithstanding the mitigation hierarchy specified in section 3745-1-54 of the Administrative Code , mitigation projects shall be approved in accordance with the hierarchy specified

in 33 C.F.R. 332.3 unless the director determines that the size or quality of the impacted resource

necessitates reasonably identifiable, available, and practicable mitigation conducted

by the applicant.  The director shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code

consistent with the mitigation hierarchy specified in 33 C.F.R. 332.3 . (J) As used in this section and section 6111.31 of the Revised Code , “ section 401 water quality certification ” means certification pursuant to section 401 of the Federal Water Pollution Control

Act and this chapter and rules adopted under it that any discharge, as set forth in

section 401, will comply with sections 301, 302, 303, 306, and 307 of the Federal

Water Pollution Control Act.