Field and Foot Work Required to Identify Jurisdictional Waters
Adjacent to Lake Lydon B. Johnson (LBJ) and where the Llano and Colorado rivers wind, the county of Llano, Texas has extensive water activity. Recently our ecology team performed a waters assessment for an industrial client to comply with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. It is imperative for assessments to be performed in the field to identify on-site drainages, creeks, wetlands or water bodies to determine if they meet the definition of a Jurisdictional Water of the United States (also referred to as “WOTUS”). Jurisdictional Waters, and wetlands adjacent to Jurisdictional Waters, are regulated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Water bodies like creeks and rivers are examined for signs of a permeant Ordinary High-Water Mark, which indicates the typical amount of flow of any such bodies of water, and shovel tests are conducted to examine the soil of any suspected wetland areas. A wetland must possess three of the USDA's Wetland Criteria to be considered jurisdictional:
Hydric soils that are saturated by water long enough to support the growth of hydric vegetation;
Hydric vegetation, which is adapted to anaerobic growing conditions, makes up the majority of the surrounding vegetation; and,
Indicators of wetland hydrology, such as inundation, drainage patterns, watermarks and sediment deposition.
Field work for these assessments includes walking transect lines to identify any noticeable water features as noted above across the property. This may take several days, depending on the size of the site. This particular project required two full days in the field.
Westward Ecologists in the field conducting a waters assessment.
Westward’s ecology team is proficient in providing comprehensive compliance and environmental assessment services related to: Waters of the U.S., Compensatory Migration, U.S. Army Corps and Environmental Protection Agency coordination and permitting, Endangered Species Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Environmental Information Documents, and Federal Emergency Management Agency Endangered Species Compliance or “FEMA Letters.” Learn more by visiting our website here. https://www.westwardenv.com/ecology