Preparing a Wetland Delineation Report

Why is the report important?

In addition to documenting the wetland determination/delineation, the report often provides the basis for further regulatory permitting/compliance.

Wetland delineations are valid from 3 (WCA) to 5 (Corps) years, so it may be used in the future to re-construct the delineation lines.

Basic Format for Reports

Introduction – why was it done, for whom, where is the site, when was it done

Methods – 87 Manual obviously, but what was the specific approach (routine level 1, level 2, , mapping conventions, etc.). The more details the better.

Results – description of wetlands identified and (just as important) a description of the areas that were determined to be upland

FiguresData Forms

Report FiguresStandard Figures

Location mapAir photoNWI mappingSoil survey mappingDNR Protected Waters MappingWetland boundary map (survey or overlaid on one of the base maps above.Antecedent precipitation conditions summaryUSGS topo map

Other Figures (as needed/available)FSA slides and/or summary of mapping conventions reviewLocal wetland maps (County/City inventories, etc.)County biological surveyMLCCS mapping (MN Land Cover Classification System)Local topo map

Report Figures

Figures should include site boundaries, approximate scale, and north arrow

1”=3000’NNO

YES

Report Results

Describe the wetland type, dominant vegetation, soils, hydrology, and landscape position

Describe the adjacent upland in terms of community type, vegetation, soils, and landscape position

Describe the basis for the wetland delineation line, being specific on the transition

Text Examples

Wetland Type &Vegetation:

“Wetland 1 is a Type 3 (PEMC/F) with an interior shallow marsh community surrounded by a fringe of wet meadow. Dominant vegetation in the shallow marsh includes broadleaf cattail, arrowhead, and water plantain. The wet meadow fringe include reed canary grass, blue vervain, green bulrush, and swamp milkweed with a few scattered willow shrubs.”

Text Examples

Upland Vegetation:

“The adjacent upland is a deciduous forest dominated by red oak and aspen in the overstory, American hazelnut and bush honeysuckle in the shrub layer, and a ground layer of enchanter’s nightshade, cleavers, bracken fern, and sweet cicely.”

Text Examples

Vegetation Transition:

“The wetland-upland transition was relatively abrupt with a 10-20-foot zone of transitional species including interrupted fern, bittersweet nightshade, common elder, and red-osier dogwood.”

Text Examples

Hydrology and Landscape Setting:

“The wetland is a isolated depression approximately 500 feet upslope from an extensive riverine floodplain. It sits roughly 5 feet higher in elevation than the adjacent floodplain and appears to be primarily surface-water driven based on the soils and watershed size The basin outlets to the south toward the floodplain via an intermittent drainageway. The basin appears to be semi-permanently flooded with 1-2 feet of surface water in the interior of the basin and an intermittently flooded/saturated fringe. Hydrology indicators A1, A2, B9, and C7 were observed along the wetland boundary.”

Text Examples

Soils:

“Soils in the wetland consisted of a deep layer of sapric material overlying fine sand consistent with the mapped soil unit. Indicator A1 was observed in the wetland. Adjacent upland soils lacked the organic surface layer and consisted of high chroma loamy fine sand over sand. No hydric soil indicators were observed in the upland.”

Do’s and Don'ts• Don’t load the report up with definitions and language from the Manual and

regulatory program. Bigger is not necessarily better!

• Be concise and specific

• Make a clear distinction between what you observed and what your interpretation is of what you observed.

• Make sure your report addresses the whole site, not just parts of it. Knowing where the wetlands are not is just as important as knowing where they are.

• Keep any regulatory discussion separate from the technical portion of the report. Do a separate memo or report for the regulatory portion or add a regulatory discussion section at the end of the report.