Tier I, II and III LCRA Dredge Requirements
The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) manages and regulates the lower 600 miles of the Colorado River, including the Highland Lakes – Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, Lake Lyndon B Johnson (LBJ), Lake Marble Falls, Lake Travis, and Lake Austin. In November 2021 the LCRA passed a Dredge and Fill Ordinance to regulate commercial operations within the Highland Lakes.
The LCRA Dredge Ordinance specifies three Tier Levels of dredge operations:
Tier I activities are small scale dredges that remove less than 500 cubic yards of material or disturb less than 500 linear feet of shoreline. No permit is required for activities of this size, but the LCRA must be notified in advance before commencing authorized activities.
Tier II activities are projects which will remove 500 or more cubic yards of material or disturb 500 or more linear feet of shoreline. Tier II activities generally apply to landowners making small improvements, and do not cover commercial dredge operations. Tier II activities will require a permit from the LCRA, which has a $500.00 application fee.
Tier III activities are typically large-scale commercial dredge projects that have as their primary purpose the resale of dredged material. Tier III also applies to non-commercial dredge projects that will occur over more than 3 surface acres or occur along more than 1,500 feet of linear shoreline; as well as dredge activities that will occur more than 30 days per year or over the course of several years. Tier III activities will require a permit from the LCRA. Application fees for a Tier III project begin at $5,000.00, with additional fees based on the size of the dredge area. A Tier III permit also requires annual inspection and administration fees from the LCRA. In addition, Tier III Dredge activities are only permitted within four designated dredge zones- three zones in Lake LBJ and one in Lake Buchanan.
Whatever the size of your project, Westward Environmental can assist you in understanding and complying with the LCRA’s dredge regulations.
