Region 9 Soil and Water Conservation District General Permit, GP-9-26-001

General Permit 9-26-001: Region 9 Soil and Water Conservation District has been issued by the NYSDEC. This General Permit (GP) has an effective of June 18, 2026, and an expiration date of June 17, 2031.

The General Permit containing a full description of the types of activities eligible for coverage, along with all the terms and conditions is provided below.  The application form used to apply for coverage under this GP and detailed application instructions are also provided below.

General Permit GP-9-26-001 (PDF)

GP-9-26-001 Application Instructions (PDF)

GP-9-26-001 Application Form (PDF)

Authorized Activities:

The general permit includes the following activities:

1. The installation, maintenance, or replacement of streambank stabilization structures using vegetative bioengineering methods (e.g. toe-wood structures, fascines, root-wads, brush-mattresses, live staking, etc.), anchored tree revetments, conifer revetments, stone rip-rap, or any combination of these methods. The use of precast reinforced concrete block may be authorized where the application demonstrates that the alternative methods/materials listed above would be ineffective.
2. The installation, maintenance, or replacement of streambank stabilization structures using a combination of native streambed/bank material and biodegradable bank covering materials or vegetative bioengineering methods.
3. The excavation of up to 250 cubic yards of gravel/streambed material to remove blockages and restore natural stream channel dimensions and flow.
4. The removal of trees and/or debris, other than streambed material, that is blocking or impeding drainage or navigation, and/or jeopardizing the banks of a stream, streambank stabilization structures, or nearby structures.
5. The installation of up to two separate culverts (double culverts are prohibited), for non-public (private) use as a single-lane roadway.
6. The maintenance, repair, and replacement of existing culverts, designed in accordance with Natural Resource Conditions 25 & 26 of this permit.
7. The installation, maintenance, or replacement of drainage tile outfall structures and/or outfall ditches for tiles of up to 12 inches inside diameter.
8. The installation, maintenance, or replacement of dry hydrants for fire protection, with intake pipes screened with mesh no larger than ¼ inch square.
9. The installation or maintenance of a stone or gravel ford, up to 25 feet in width, in any 500 linear feet of stream for agricultural activities or property access. Impoundment of water is prohibited.
10. Stream channel realignment of up to 200 linear feet in any 1,000 feet of stream, with no more than a 50-foot decrease in stream length. Realignment will only be considered for the purpose of minimizing erosion or protecting local flood control structures, where the application demonstrates that streambank stabilization methods and other alternatives would be ineffective.
11. Stream feature or habitat restoration projects involving the scattered placement of rocks or the installation of in-stream stabilization, grade control, and/or habitat structures (e.g. stream barbs, bendway weirs, lunker structures, rock or cross vanes, etc.), in any combination.

With the exception of Authorized Activity #10, the authorized activities listed above are limited to disturbances of less than 500 linear feet within any 1,000 feet of stream.

Exclusions

This permit is available for use by Soil and Water Conservation Districts in Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara and Wyoming Counties excluding the following areas:

• Locations within Sovereign Indian Nation territories; 
• Locations within a designated Coastal Erosion Hazard Area; 
• Locations within State-owned lands or where the State has acquired public fishing rights unless approval from NYSDEC has been obtained;
• Activities requiring a permit under 6 NYCRR Part 182 (Endangered/Threatened Species), 6 NYCRR Part 420-426 (Mined Land Reclamation), or 6 NYCRR Part 673 (Dam Safety);
• Any proposal within an area identified by NYSDEC as supporting freshwater mussel species designated by the New York State Natural Heritage Program as S1 or S2, unless NYSDEC staff have determined the proposal will not affect such species;
• Any activity connected to private or commercial timber harvesting/logging operations;
• Any activity occurring in a location where a proposed project may adversely affect a property listed on the National or State Registers of Historic Places or has been determined by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to be eligible for listing on the State Register of Historic Places.

Authorization Procedure

To obtain coverage for an activity that is included in the general permit, the SWCD must submit an application form to the DEC Region 9 office. 

The project may not proceed until the permittee receives a signed Project Authorization Form from NYSDEC.

If a project does not qualify for coverage under the general permit, or cannot be approved under the general permit, an individual permit is required.

Comments

A public comment period for the Region 9 Soil and Water Conservation District General Permit (GP-9-26-001) was provided and no comments were received.