Identification of wetlands in the Southern Appalachian Region and the certification of wetland delineators

Abstract

According to the Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual, wetlands are identified by the presence of field indicators of hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils, and wetland hydrology. In the southern Appalachian region, situations that present problems for wetland delineators include (1) wetlands developed on recently deposited alluvial soils that may show little evidence of hydric conditions, (2) areas occupied by FAC-dominated plant communities, (3) wetlands affected by past or present drainage practices, (4) man-induced wetlands that may lack certain wetland field indicators, and (5) hydric soil units that are too small or narrow to be delineated separately on soil survey map sheets. In March 1993, under direction of Section 307(e) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1990, the Corps of Engineers initiated a Wetland Delineator Certification Program. A 1-year demonstration program has recently ended in Maryland, Florida, and Washington, with nationwide implementation scheduled for later in 1994. This voluntary program is designed to increase the quality of wetland delineations submitted with Section 404 permit applications, and reduce processing time by reducing the need for extensive field verification of wetland boundaries.