What is a wetland delineation certification?
Meet the demand for qualified wetland delineators! Developers, consultants, preservationists, and regulatory agencies all require skilled professionals who are able to identify the vegetation, soils, and hydrology that define wetlands.
What are the 3 characteristics used to delineate a wetland?
The 1987 Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual and Regional Supplements organizes characteristics of a potential wetland into three categories: soils, vegetation and hydrology. The manual and supplements contain criteria for each category.
Can you build on wetlands in Pennsylvania?
You can build on wetlands as long as they’re not jurisdictional, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be fighting an uphill battle. When wetlands are filled, the water that makes them wet has to go somewhere. If you’re building on these lands, you have to consider that your home or business may be damaged by this water.
How do you delineate a wetland?
Wetland delineation should result in three things:
- A wetland boundary clearly marked in the field.
- A map that clearly identifies data-collection points and the boundaries of the delineated wetland (topographic and aerial site maps are very helpful).
What does a wetland specialist do?
Wetland Specialists strive to preserve ecological sustainability of wildlife, maintain cleanliness of water resources, remove pollutants from the wetlands and implement remediation projects. Wetland specialists use extensive scientific monitoring and analysis to gather data and draft reports.
How does wetland delineation work?
A stream or wetland delineation study involves a thorough investigation of any critical areas on-site. The critical area boundary is flagged and displayed on a map along with the associated buffer width. The map is presented in a report that may be used for permitting as well as site layout.
Are wetlands protected in PA?
How Are Wetlands Activities Regulated by Pennsylvania? The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulates activities impacting wetlands under the authority of the Dam Safety and Encroachments Act and Dam Safety and Waterway Management Rules and Regulations (Title 25, Pennsylvania Code, Chapter 105).
Who does wetland delineation?
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
8. What happens if a wetland is found? If a wetland is found during your wetland delineation, then the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will determine whether your wetland area is jurisdictional and in need of protection.
How long does it take to do a wetland delineation?
How long will it take? Depending on the size of the site and potential wetland or poorly drained areas to evaluate, it can take 1-2 days to review and obtain the desktop research materials, and 1-2 field days to gather necessary site data (this timeline could be longer for more larger/more complex sites).
Who uses the 1987 Corps of Engineers wetlands delineation manual?
The EPA and the USACOE use the 1987 Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual (Technical Report Y-87-1) with the guidance provided by the USACOE, Major General Arthur E. Williams’ memorandum dated 6 March 1992, Clarification and Interpretation of the 1987 Manual.
How will the new wetlands act change the process of delineation?
Because there will be only one accepted method to delineate wetlands, a reduction in time, effort and paperwork in preparing permit applications is expected. This change will require minimal staff retraining as the two methods currently used at the State and Federal levels are very similar in nature.
What is a wetland?
Federal, state and local environmental reports, applications, and permits. “Wetlands are 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.
What happens if there is a loss in wetlands during mining?
If a net loss in wetlands is identified during the post-mining delineation, the operators are required to develop a mitigation plan in which new wetlands of an equivalent size and quality will be created. Data on wetlands consists of measuring acreage of small parcels of land before and after mining.