Independent utility

A test to determine what constitutes a single and complete non-linear project in the Army Corps regulatory program. A project is considered to have independent utility if it would be constructed absent the construction of other projects in the project area. Portions of a multi-phase project that depend upon other phases of the project do not have independent utility. Phases of a project that would be constructed even if the other phases were not built can be considered as separate single and complete projects with independent utility. (US Army Corps of Engineers, 2012 Nationwide Permits, Conditions, and Definitions)