B09_Attachment_14_Inlet_Lock_2_Authorization_to_Proceed_0002.pdf

This document is an Authorization to Proceed issued by the State of Maryland Department of the Environment, Water and Science Administration, Wetlands and Waterways Protection Program for a regulated activity at the C&O Canal in Montgomery County.

The authorization number is 25-NT-3037/202560216, effective April 30, 2025, and expiring April 30, 2030. The authorized person is the National Park Service – C&O Canal NHP, with Joseph Reed, P.E., CFM listed as the primary contact at 142 West Potomac Street, Williamsport, MD 21795. The project involves repair and maintenance of lock gates, repair of existing historic stone masonry, removal of sediment and debris, and repair and expansion of an existing earthen berm at the terminus of Violettes Lock Road. Work includes installation of cofferdams, dewatering measures, staging, stockpiling, and erosion and sediment control practices. The project will permanently impact 550 square feet of perennial stream, 242 linear feet of stream, and 5,040 square feet of 100-year nontidal floodplain, with temporary impact to 14,788 square feet of 100-year nontidal floodplain. A Time of Year Restriction Waiver is granted for the entire 2026 use closure period. Grid coordinates are 155488 N x 371562 E.

The authorization includes 18 conditions covering validity, initiation timelines, compliance responsibilities, sediment control, site restoration, temporary staging areas, stream access crossings, discharge requirements, blasting approvals, minimum disturbance standards, and restoration requirements. Federal authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been granted under the Maryland State Programmatic General Permit (MDSPGP-6) as a Category A(b)-1 activity, with no additional Section 404 Clean Water Act authorization required.