• Eastern Mountains & Piedmont
• Hawaii and the Pacific Islands

The new final data forms are in the back of each of the manuals.  The Corps has not updated the data sheet section of its website.

It has been a busy week at the Corps.  They have also released the final draft of the new wetland plant list that is to be used for wetland delineations.  The 2012 National Wetland Plant List (NWPL) is in the final stages of becoming the new legal plant list for use under the Clean Water Act, Swamp Buster, and National Wetland Inventory. This process required an update of nomenclature and wetland ratings, an announcement in the Federal Register with a public comment period, an evaluation of all input, responses to comments from the Federal Register, and the development of a NEPA document describing impacts.  It is anticipated that this will be in use by the end of May.

We will be publishing updates to our wetland plant field guide in the next few days.  It will be announced in our weekly newsletter.  If you would like an advance copy of the new list, please consider subscribing to our weekly newsletter. It is a free publication and keeps you up to date on the latest regulatory and technical changes to wetlands.

You can subscribe ==>  HERE

This week we are going to cover the new client change policy. The National Water Program 2012 Strategy: Response to Climate Change (Public Comment Draft) has just been released. Follow the link to read and comment of this new policy. The comments are due by May 17, 2012. You can comment here.

This new program is all about water resources and climate change. Most of the document talks about greenhouse gas emissions (how 80′s) and their effect on water resources. There is one section that focuses on wetlands and it warrants some attention. Not the least reason because it opens the door for permit decisions to be made as a function of climate change.

The document is broken up into stated goals. Goal #6 states that, “EPA incorporates climate change considerations into the CWA 404 regulatory program as they relate to permit reviews and compensatory mitigation.”

The program then provides strategies for accomplishing this goal.

Strategic Action16: The NWP will consider the effects of climate change as appropriate when making significant degradation determinations in the CWA Section 404 Wetlands Permitting and Enforcement Programs.

Strategic Action17: The NWP will evaluate, in conjunction with relevant Federal Agencies when applicable, including USDA, USFWS, and the USACE, how wetland and stream compensation projects could be selected, designed, and sited to aid in reducing the effects of climate change.

The implication in this goal is that a project could be denied a permit based upon its effect on climate change. It is unclear if carbon banking will offset this.

One other stated goal is Goal 7 that provides for EPA to improve baseline information on wetland extent, condition and performance to inform effective adaptation to climate change. This is to be done by:

Strategic Action 18: The NWP will expand wetland mapping by supporting wetland mapping coalitions and training on use of the new Federal Wetland Mapping Standard.

Strategic Action19: The NWP will produce a statistically valid, ecological condition assessment of the nation’s wetlands.

This goal is a major revamp of the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI). It would be interesting to see if there is any attempt to collect field verified wetland maps and incorporate them into this geo data base. This has been suggested for many years, but the Corps and EPA do not have a repository for this data. Perhaps this is the direction they are going in.

Pay attention to this one. The implications on permitting are significant.

Want to learn more?  We are sponsoring a webinar on these new ruler.  Go ==> Here for more info

The main points in this debate are focused on two major things.One is how much money this will bring into the state.The second is how to determine what the environmental consequences of fracing are.

I have spent most of my summer in the Northeastern Pennsylvania training engineers, scientists, surveyors and students on the intricacies of wetlands associated with the Marcellus formation.This formation is extensive and extends from New York to Virginia.The amount of work being done in PA is impressive.

The economic engine that is driving this is jobs.This table if from a study done by the PA Department of Labor that summarizes the over 214,000 jobs created last year due to the natural gas exploration in the state.

Yes, I said 214,000 jobs.

Wetland delineation and waters assessment are major concern in this area.This fall, The Swamp School is offering two classes in the Carolinas to expand on some of the nuances of wetland delineation in the region.Please check our class schedule for more information.We have launched a new How to Get a Job program.

More details ==> HERE

First we need to address whether flooding is good or bad.  If you ask the folks in New England I am sure your will get a unanimous and perhaps colorful response that floods are bad.  In today’s landscape floods are bad.  They result in significant property loss and sometimes even loss of life.  This is a terrible thing.  The natural response is to find new and better ways to prevent flooding.

However, floods are a natural part of the environment.    For thousands of years man has relied on flooding to replenish farm fields.  Floods served to fertilize the soil and help with early agriculture.  I find it ironic that today farmers do everything in their power to prevent flooding.  Their ancestors worked the land that was nearest the river so that they could benefit from the flooding.

When a flood occurs, the energy from what we call the floodway overtops the bank into the floodplain.  The energy in the floodway is concentrated and is only dissipated when the water reaches the floodplain.  This is a transference of concentrated energy into a dissipated lower energy system.

In a stable system the flood will occur in such a manner to neither cause erosion or deposition in the stream floodway.  The stream channel neither agrades or degrades.  This can only occur at the critical bankfull event.

The bankfull event is a small flood event.  There is a precise pressure point at which the energy within the floodway will not cause damage to the stream.  At the exact point at which the energy builds up to a damage point, the stream floods and the energy is spread out across the floodplain.  Every stream, river and creek has a bankfull threshold.   The problem to today is can the stream flood safely?

In most circumstances, today’s streams do not flood by design.  In fact most small events that would have ordinarily flooded are confined to the stream channel.  The result is that when these streams now flood they do so in record amounts.  This is a buildup of potential energy that when transferred out into the floodplain as kinetic energy results in the devastation we have seen in the last few weeks.

The problem we have today is that these streams will flood despite all of our efforts to contain them.  Now we have put structures and lives in the floodplain.  These are bound to be impacted as a result.

The solution to this is a difficult one.  You cannot stop it from raining.  Nor would you want too.  The homes and business are in the floodplain.  FEMA is just about broke so there is no money to buy out the properties.  What are we to do?

It seems that we have three choices.

1.  Do nothing – This has been the plan for some time.

2.  Relocate out of the floodplain – Very, very expensive

3.  Construct a miracle flood control project – Item 1 is looking better and better.

I would like to see if we can get a discussion going on this one.  What are some ideas to manage the floods we have seen in the last few weeks?

Please add your comments, thoughts or ideas.  We need your help with this one so please comment on the post.

Thanks,

Marc

I just returned back from a 10 day stay in northern New Jersey. I wanted to relay to you a few observations of my adventure. As you may recall, Hurricane Irene paid us a visit. here in North Carolina most of the devastation was limited to the coastal areas. The damage was significant but it is something most of the folks in NC are experienced with. It is not that they are used to it. I do not know how one would get used to losing a home. However, they were prepared and are now working to get their lives back together.

New Jersey is looking at a something a bit different. The coastal areas were more or less spared. I have relatives in the coastal town of Belmar, that really did not see much damage. My in-laws in Blairstown which is close to 100-miles to the west of the shore have been without power for over a week. They did not see much hurricane damage, they had rain. Lots and lots of rain. In fact it has been raining most of the summer.

The damage to north Jersey is significant. The photo below (courtesy of the Star Ledger) is Interstate 287 in Boonton. The Rockaway river has washed away the north bound lanes. This backed up traffic for miles and days. At one point porta potties were set up along the highway and gas was being sold along the roadway. It was a mess.

In Denville, the entire down-town went under water. US Route 46 was impassible as the mighty Rockaway flooded the town. I saw large dumpsters floating down the river.

More recently, the town of Lincoln Park was flooded by the Passaic. Actually most of north Jersey was flooded by the Passaic. In Little Falls, NJ the flood stage of the Passaic is around 7 feet. It crested at over 14 feet. As of the date of the article the river has still not receded below flood stage.

As the cleanup begins there are many issues facing folks in these soaked areas. Foremost in many people’s minds is the issue of property loss. Thankfully, loss of life was minimal but tragic none the less. I believe 45 people lost their lives to the storm. This is far less than what happened in Katrina but the loss is still very sad. We knew the storm was coming and in New Jersey the Governor urged (rather colorfully) to seek higher ground.

I am focusing on New Jersey because it is a very good example of the problems we are faced with in urban watershed management. The storms and rainfall are unusually high this year and last year. Property loss is well into the millions if not billions. Communities have been destroyed. Life has changed.

In the following weeks we will be presenting a series on urban watershed management. There are many issues and controversy over how to best address the problem. We will use some of the towns in New Jersey as an extreme example of what worked and what did not. We will suggest ways in which some of the damage can be mitigated and avoided in future events. Perhaps this was an isolated event, but weeks later the rivers are still cresting and its going to rain again on Thursday. Stayed tuned.