Federal Environmental Cross-Cutting Requirements
Projects may also need to comply with federal environmental laws and authorities as part of their Environmental Package Application, referred to as federal environmental “cross-cutters.” For more guidance, contact your DFA-assigned Project Manager or review the Clean Water Intended Use Plan or the Drinking Water Intended Use Plan.
In summary:
| Project Type | Federal Environmental Cross-Cutter Required? | |
|---|---|---|
| Clean Water Programs | Equivalency | Yes |
| Non-Equivalency | No | |
| Drinking Water Programs | Tier I | Yes |
| Tier II | No |
Resources for Federal Environmental Cross-Cutters
Additional guidance for a subset of the federal environmental cross-cutters is found below.
For a complete list of federal environmental cross-cutters, see your project’s corresponding State Environmental Review Process (SERP) and/or Environmental Package Application form located on the DFA Environmental Review webpage
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) Section 106
Applicants complying with federal environmental cross-cutters must prepare a historic properties identification report to support the State Water Board’s consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO).
Note: Historic properties identification reports prepared for CEQA typically do not meet NHPA Section 106 requirements. Visit the links below for report preparation guidance.
- Historic Properties Identification Report (a.k.a. Cultural Resources Report) Preparation Guidelines
- Applicant Template Letter for Tribal Outreach
- Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment Facilities in California: Historic Context and Research Design for National Register Evaluation
- Clean Water State Revolving Fund Nationwide Programmatic Agreement on Historic Preservation
- Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) – U.S. EPA Delegation/Authorization Letter (SHPO/THPO)
- Advisory Council on Historic Preservation: Section 106 Toolkit
- California Historical Resources Information System (CHRIS)
Endangered Species Act (ESA) Section 7
Applicants complying with federal environmental cross-cutters must submit a biological resources assessment, prepared by a qualified biologist, to evaluate potential impacts to federally listed species under the ESA. See complete requirements in the Environmental Package Application form and visit the links below for further guidance.
- United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) ESA Consultation Guidance
- USFWS Survey Protocols and Guidelines – Pacific Southwest Region
- Sacramento USFWS Office Information
- USFWS Official Species List – Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC Tool)
- California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) QuickView Tool
- National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) ESA Consultation Guidance
- NMFS West Coast Species List
- 2025 EPA Consultation Representative Delegation Letters
Federal Clean Air Act (CAA)
- Current Nonattainment Counties for All Criteria Pollutants
- General Conformity Training Modules
- De Minimis Emission Levels for Criteria Pollutants
- California Emissions Estimator Model (CalEEMod)
