In-Lieu Fee Wetland Mitigation Program

Program Overview

In November 2013, the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust became an authorized in-lieu fee mitigation program sponsor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Savannah District.

In-Lieu Fee Mitigation (ILF) is part of the Corps’ resource mitigation program intended to provide off-sets through restoration and protection of protected water resources. This program is essential to the successful implementation of the Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404, which seeks to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.

In-Lieu Fee is one of the means employed by the USACE to provide compensatory mitigation and satisfy the longstanding national goal of no net loss of wetland acreage.

Service Areas

  • Contact GALT to confirm credit availability in your project’s service area. For current GALT-ILF credit pricing and availability please contact: Cole Huizinga at (903) 249-5675 or at chuizinga@galandtrust.org.

  • GALT drafts and issues Statement of Credit Availability, if applicable, with project information. 

  • Submit a permit application to the Corps of Engineers - Savannah District (Corps) requesting use of GALT-ILF. Corps reviews and determines if use of GALT-ILF is acceptable based of private bank credit availability in primary and secondary service areas. 

  • After Corps approval is issued in writing, Permittee provides GALT with permit, credit worksheets, and documentation of Corps approval to use GALT-ILF. At this stage, an invoice can be requested.  

  • Permittee purchases credit(s), transfers funds to the GALT-ILF program, and executes credit sale letter.

  • GALT uses the funds to mitigate the unavoidable impacts to Georgia’s Streams and Wetlands (learn more below).

Credit Purchase Steps

GALT-ILF Mitigation Sites

Upedee Creek (Withlacoochee) 

Lamar Mounds (Upper Ocmulgee)  

Jackson Farms (Withlacoochee)  

Firecracker Creek (Lower Flint) 

Cedar Creek (Middle Chattahoochee) 

Blueberry Farms (Upper Coosa) 

Beaverdam Creek (Upper Savannah) 

Tusculum (Lower Savannah) *pending 

Mill Creek (Tennessee) *pending 

Big Mortar Swamp (Lower Ogeechee) *pending 

Before

After

Program Staff

Mike Heneghan, ILF Program Director (mheneghan@galandtrust.org) 

Cole Huizinga, ILF Credit Sales Specialist (chuizinga@galandtrust.org) 

Jamie King, ILF Restoration Specialist (jking@galandtrust.org)