(a) A project proponent may submit a written request to approve a habitat restoration or enhancement project to the director pursuant to this section if the project has received certification pursuant to the State Water Resources Control Board’s Order for Clean Water Act Section 401 General Water Quality Certification for Small Habitat Restoration Projects, or its current equivalent at the time the project proponent submits the written request.

(b) A written request to approve a habitat restoration or enhancement project pursuant to this section shall include all of the following:

(1) Notice that the project proponent has received a notice of applicability that indicates that the project is authorized pursuant to the State Water Resources Control Board’s Order for Clean Water Act Section 401 General Water Quality Certification for Small Habitat Restoration Projects, or its equivalent at the time the project proponent submits the written request.

(2) A copy of the notice of applicability.

(3) A copy of the notice of intent provided to the State Water Resources Control Board or a regional water quality control board.

(4) A description of species protection measures incorporated into the project design, but not already included in the notice of intent, to avoid and minimize impacts to potentially present species protected by state and federal law, such as appropriate seasonal work limitations and the use of qualified professionals for standard preconstruction surveys where protected species are potentially present.

(5) The fees required pursuant to Section 1655.

(c) Upon receipt of the notice specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b), the director shall immediately have published in the General Public Interest section of the California Regulatory Notice Register the receipt of that notice.

(d) Within 30 days after the director has received the notice of applicability described in subdivision (b), the director shall determine whether the written request accompanying the notice of applicability is complete.

(e) If the director determines within that 30-day period, based upon substantial evidence, that the written request is not complete, then the project may be authorized under Section 1652.

(f) The director shall immediately publish the determination pursuant to subdivision (d) in the General Public Interest section of the California Regulatory Notice Register.

(g) The project proponent shall submit the monitoring plan, monitoring report, and notice of completion to the department as required by the State Water Resources Control Board’s Order for Clean Water Act Section 401 General Water Quality Certification for Small Habitat Restoration Projects, or its current equivalent at the time the project proponent submits the written request. The order or its current equivalent may include programmatic waivers or waste discharge requirements for small scale restoration projects.

(Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 303, Sec. 166. (AB 731) Effective January 1, 2016. Repealed as of January 1, 2022, pursuant to Section 1657.)