Download - New EPA Wetlands Rule
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New EPA Wetlands Rule
Juli Anna McNuttSenior BiologistJuly 8, 2014
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Presentation Outline:
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1. Intro and Historya. Key regulationsb. Regulatory authority (Corps + EPA, State)
2. How do we Delineate a Wetland?3. Changes in Regulatory Authority Since Clean Water Act
a. SWANCCb. Rapanos
4. Proposed Rulea. What it is/What it isn’t, discuss comment period, and timingb. What prompted proposed rule, discuss 9/13 EPA science documentc. Definitions
5. How Proposed Rule May Affect Project Sites6. Case Studies
1. Irrigation channel-fed wetlands2. Intermittent/ephemeral drainages
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History of Wetlands Regulations
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16th century = 220 mil acrescurrent = 105 mil acres
1900s: advancing science increased understanding about wetland function (habitat, water storage, water filtering/purification, flood control, food production, education/research, recreation)
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Key Wetlands Regulations
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1899: Rivers and Harbors Act 1948: Federal Water Pollution Control Act 1972: Clean Water Action (CWA), Section 404 CWA mandates permits for the release of dredged or fill
materials into U.S. waters Corps responsible to administering permits 1986: Emergency Wetland Resources Act (National
Wetlands Inventory) 1987: Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual
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How Do We Delineate a Wetland?
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Hydric Soils Gleying Redoximorphic features
Hydrophytic Vegetation Dominance test Prevalence index
Wetland Hydrology Surface water High water table Ordinary high water mark
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U.S. Wetlands
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Source: USGS
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Wyoming Waters
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Source: WY State Geological Survey
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Wyoming Wetland Habitat
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Source: The Nature Conservancy, USGS
1.2 million acres (2%)
Agriculture/Irrigated meadows have enhanced WY wetlands
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Changes Since Clean Water Act
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2001: Isolated Wetlands (Supreme Court ruled, in Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County [SWANCC] v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, that the Corps was not authorized to protect isolated wetlands.
2006: Rapanos/Carabell v. U.S. extended jurisdiction to non-navigable tributaries via “significant nexus”.
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Impact of Rapanos
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The Corps decides jurisdiction over the following waters based on a fact-specific analysis (case-by-case) to determine whether they have a significant nexus with a traditional navigable water: Non-navigable tributaries that are not relatively permanent Wetlands adjacent to non-navigable tributaries that are not
relatively permanent Wetlands adjacent to but that do not directly abut a relatively
permanent non-navigable tributary
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Problem with Rapanos
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When the Corps takes jurisdiction over a potential wetland is not a black and white process
Leads to uncertainty Examples of problem sites: swales
(ephemeral/intermittant), ditches, agricultural areas, mosaic wetlands (areas that contain both wetlands and uplands mixed together), irrigated areas
For nearly a decade, people have asked for clarity with the jurisdictional determination process
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Proposed Rule
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Purpose: define scope of waters protected under the Clean Water Act
Propose rule published in Federal Register on April 21, 2014
Public comment period ends on October 20, 2014
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New EPA Wetland Rule: What Prompted It?
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Three Explanations: Inconsistent Jurisdictional Determinations Unclear Definitions Need to Improve Efficiency
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EPA Science Report
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Precursor to proposed rule Released in September 2013 Summarizes watershed-scale connectivity Makes the case for “adjacent” and “neighboring”
wetlands
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Proposed Rule – What’s In
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Jurisdictional by Rule The big three:
Navigable waters Interstate waters Territorial seas
Tributaries Adjacent waters and wetlands
Case-by-Case “Other waters” via significant nexus evaluation
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Proposed Rule – What’s Out
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Pre-existing situations (i.e., prior converted cropland, ranching, farming activities)
Waste treatment systems Gullies/rills/non-wetland swales Most ditches (except tributary ditches) Irrigated areas that would revert to uplands Artificial lakes/ponds constructed in uplands Groundwater
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Definitions
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Adjacent: bordering, contiguous, or neighboring. Waters, including wetlands, separated from other waters of the
United States by man-made dikes or barriers, natural river berms, beach dunes and the like are ‘‘adjacent waters.’’
Neighboring: includes waters located within the riparian area or floodplain of a water of the US, or waters with a shallow subsurface hydrologic connection or confined surface hydrologic connection to such a jurisdictional water.
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Definitions (con’t)
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Riparian Area: an area bordering a water where surface or subsurface hydrology directly influence the ecological processes and plant and animal community structure in that area.
Floodplain: an area bordering inland or coastal waters that was formed by sediment deposition from such water under present climatic conditions and is inundated during periods of moderate to high water flows.
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Definitions (con’t)
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Tributary: water physically characterized by the presence of a bed/bank and ordinary high water mark which contributes flow, either directly or through another water, to a water of the US.
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EPA Science Report (con’t)
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EORI Conference
Source: Modified from EPA 2013
Other Waters (isolated wetlands) Tributaries/Adjacent Wetlands
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How Does the New Rule Affect Projects?
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Pipelines/utilities should be evaluated in intermittent/ephemeral drainages
Projects located in floodplains/riparian areas may need a permit
Additional site-specific data may be needed to facilitate a significant nexus decision
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Case Study #1: Irrigated Wetland
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Located in Laramie, Wyoming Property Owner wanted to develop property Close to Laramie River Wetlands found on the property, but were formed
from irrigation water, not the river Status: Jurisdictional
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Property to be Developed
Laramie River
Irrigated Areas
Significant Nexus
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Case Study #2: Isolated Wetland
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Located in Cheyenne, Wyoming Isolated reservoir located in an ephemeral drainage Large wetland footprint Corps determined that no significant nexus exists Status: Not Jurisdictional
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Reservoir in Question
Ephemeral Drainage
15 mi to a perennial stream
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Significant Changes- Summary
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Tributaries and Adjacent Wetlands will be “Jurisdictional by Rule”
“Other waters” to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis
Formal definitions of adjacent, neighboring, riparian area, floodplain, tributary, wetland, and significant nexus