Wetland Delineation and Classification

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Wetland Delineation and Classification
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Wetland Delineation
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Wetland Delineation

• Purpose of Delineation
• Define limits of Federal jurisdiction, in
  accordance with current law, regulations and
  policy
• Property owners will know which parts of their
  land could be fall under federal regulatory
  jurisdiction
• Determine wetland area affected by a project, as
  a first step in impact statement or mitigation

Source Regulatory IV Wetland Delineation
Training August 2003
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Federal Statutes

• Clean Water Act of 1972
• Authorized EPA and COE to regulate fill in
  wetlands
• Food Security Act of 1985
• NRCS authorized to make determinations under
  Swampbuster provisions (ag only)

Source Regulatory IV Wetland Delineation
Training August 2003
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Clean Water Act

• 1972,1977
• Section 404 established a permit system for the
  discharge of dredged or fill materials into
  navigable waters
• Term wetlands was not used in the Act
• Initial permitting given to the USACE, later
  shared with USEPA

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Clean Water Act

• Applies to all waters of the United States as
  well as Special Aquatic Sites
• Wetlands
• Sanctuaries and refuges
• Mudflats
• Vegetated shallows
• Coral reefs
• Riffle and pool complexes

Source Regulatory IV Wetland Delineation
Training August 2003
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Food Security Act

• Introduced in 1985, amended in 1990
• Established two conservation programs for the
  protection of wetlands
• Doesnt prohibit filling, offers incentives and
  penalties to protect wetlands
• NRCS does delineation

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Swampbuster in the Food Security Act

• Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
• Emphasis on cropped wetlands
• Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)
• Tries to provide incentives to protect, preserve,
  and enhance wetlands
• WRP offers options of permanent easements,
  30-year easements and 10 year restoration cost
  share agreements

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Early 1980s None of the federal agencies with
regulatory powers had adopted a uniform technical
manual or formal rules for delineationLate
1980sAll of the agencies worked together to
create the 1989 interagency manual, which was
designed to insure consistent regulation of
wetlands It failed due to political pressure.
Federal Delineation Manuals
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Federal Delineation Manuals

• Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual
  (1987)
• Clean Water Act applications
• National Food Security Act Manual (1984)
• Swampbuster applications (ag. only)

Source Regulatory IV Wetland Delineation
Training August 2003
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Purpose for Federal Guidelines

• Manuals describe technical criteria, field
  indicators, and methods for identifying wetlands
  and delineating their boundaries
• Have to meet all three criteria for wetland
  hydrology, soils, and vegetation

Source Regulatory IV Wetland Delineation
Training August 2003
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Federal Definitions

• Corps / EPA Clean Water Act Section 404
• Areas that are inundated or saturated by surface
  or ground water at a frequency and duration
  sufficient to support, and that under normal
  circumstances do support a prevalence of
  vegetation typically adapted for life in
  saturated soil conditions.

Source Regulatory IV Wetland Delineation
Training August 2003
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Federal Definitions

• NRCS Food Security Act Swampbuster
• Areas that have a predominance of hydric soils
  and that are inundated or saturated by surface or
  ground water at a frequency and duration
  sufficient to support, and under normal
  circumstances do support, a prevalence of
  hydrophytic vegetation typically adapted for life
  in saturated soil conditions, except lands in
  Alaska identified as having high potential for
  agricultural development and a predominance of
  permafrost soils.

Source Regulatory IV Wetland Delineation
Training August 2003
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Normal Circumstances

• The condition indicated by the soils and
  hydrology on a site, whether vegetation has been
  altered or removed
• Long-term condition of the site, including
  permitted or legal alterations

Source Regulatory IV Wetland Delineation
Training August 2003
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The SWANCC Decision

• January 9, 2001
• Solid Waste District of Northern Cook County
  (SWANCC) v. United States Army Corps of Engineers
• USACOE does not have jurisdiction over isolated
  wetlands in the United States
• States have jurisdiction over isolated wetlands

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Wetland Classification
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Marshes, swamps, and bogs have been well-known
terms for centuries, but only relatively recently
have attempts been made to group these landscape
units under the single term "wetlands."
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There is no single, correct, indisputable,
ecologically sound definition for wetlands,
primarily because of the diversity of wetlands
and because the demarcation between dry and wet
environments lies along a continuum.
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Fish and Wildlife Service Circular 39

• 1956
• Emphasized wetlands that were
• important waterfowl habitats
• Listed 20 types of wetlands in 4 categories

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CLASSIFICATION OF WETLANDS AND DEEPWATER HABITATS
OF THE UNITED STATES

• US Fish and Wildlife Service
• Goals
• Describe ecological wetland units that have
  homogeneous natural attributes - Taxonomic Class
• Arrange wetland units to aid management decisions
• Arrange wetland units for inventorying and
  mapping
• Provide uniformity in wetland concepts and
  terminology

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The Cowardin System

• Released in 1979
• FWS report
• Introduced concept of hydrophytes and hydric
  soils
• Concept of predominance
• Introduced the use of the three factors
  hydrology, soils and vegetation
• National Wetland Inventory based on this system

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Defines Five Major Wetland Systems

• Marine Associated with Coastal Areas
• Estuarine Associated with Estuaries (places
  where salt water and fresh water mix along
  coastlines)
• Riverine Associated with Rivers
• Lacustrine Associated with Lakes
• Palustrine Occur in Topographic Low Spots

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Mangrove Swamp Everglades National Park
Estuarine Wetland
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Riverine
Photo Marion Jackson
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Lacustrine
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Palustrine
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Hydrogeomorphic Classification
Classification The hydrogeomorphic
classification of wetlands is intended to lay a
foundation for and support ongoing efforts to
develop methods for assessing the physical,
chemical, and biological functions of wetlands.
Approach The approach includes a development
and an application phase. The assessment
procedure, as the final product, can be used to
compare project alternatives, determine impacts,
calculate mitigation requirements, etc.
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HGM Classification is Based on Three Principles
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1. Uses Four Types of Information for initial
classification

• Geomorphic setting
• Water source and transport vector
• Hydrodynamics
• Water chemistry and soil properties

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2. Reference Wetlands

• Use of a set of wetlands that represents wetlands
  of a region or "domain" regardless of their
  condition
• Should be sites where parameters can be or have
  been measured, and should be representative of
  all degrees of disturbances that occur to wetland
  ecosystems

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3. Collection of Data

• The third principle of HGM approach is the
  rigorous collection of data from reference
  wetlands that can be used to scale variable
  conditions and develop functional indices.

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The Convention on Wetlands of International
Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat
Ramsar
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• International conference held in Ramsar, Iran
  (1971)
• "areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether
  natural or artificial, permanent or temporary,
  with water that is static or flowing, fresh,
  brackish or salt, including areas of marine water
  the depth of which at low tide does not exceed
  six metres".

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Ramsar Guidelines

• Member nations must adopt the following
• National wetland policies
• Designate at least 1 wetland for List of Wetlands
  of International Importance
• Establish wetland nature reserves
• Cooperate over shared species