Submitted by Washington Department Fish & Wildlife
OLYMPIA – The Department of Fish and Wildlife is now offering a simplified application for people interested in obtaining a Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA) for construction work in or near water. The HPA is a permit issued by the department to ensure projects are designed in a way that protects fish life.
The new form can be found at http://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/hpa/how_to_apply.html on the department’s website.
The department developed the simplified application to reduce the amount of time it takes for applicants to fill out an application for a routine, simple project permit, said Randi Thurston, WDFW protection division manager.
“This new application will save both our customers’ and biologists’ time by not having to fill out or review multiple pages of application for a simple, low complexity project,” Thurston said. “The simplified application is designed to provide our customers with another option when they have a simple project.”
Eligible projects for the simplified application are listed on the application form. They include mineral prospecting, road maintenance work, and trenchless utility connections, among others. If a 404 Permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is required, the applicant must submit the JARPA form to the department instead.
Thurston noted that similar efforts to improve processes are occurring throughout WDFW and other state agencies, as part of the Governor’s lean management initiatives. Thurston said the new application will be evaluated periodically by WDFW to assess its usefulness as well as to identify improvements that may be necessary.
