In-lieu fee (ILF) mitigation is one type of mitigation that can be used to offset unavoidable impacts to wetlands and other Waters of the US. In this mitigation approach, a permittee pays a fee to a third party instead of conducting project-specific mitigation or buying credits from a mitigation bank. The fee charged by an ILF program sponsor represents the expected cost of replacing the functions lost or degraded as a result of the permittee’s impact project. An ILF program typically combines fees collected from one or more impact projects to finance a wetland mitigation project.
The HCCC ILF Program provides a mitigation option in Hood Canal for impacts to freshwater and marine aquatic resources. Applicants interested in purchasing credits can contact HCCC’s Mitigation Program Manager.
