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Process Initiation: What are the steps to determine if a project would impact wetlands?
As early as possible in the planning of a project, WSDOT staff request a qualified biologist to perform any or all of the wetland assessment tasks, which include:
- Inventory
- Delineation
- Functions Assessment
- Rating
- Buffer Determination
- Impact Assessment
- Report/Memo Preparation
If a project is very early in its planning stage and WSDOT staff are choosing among alternative project designs, they may request just an initial inventory to see which design would least impact wetlands. Conversely if a project is moving forward with only one preferred plan, all of the assessment tasks could be requested at the same time.
Who assesses wetlands?
Wetland biologists with qualified training, experience, and background perform wetland delineations and assessments. WSDOT staff requiring wetland delineation and assessment work should first ask the Regional Wetland Contact to see if the services can be provided by a WSDOT region, and if so, to find out the region's procedure for requesting wetland biology work. If a region's wetland biologist is unavailable to perform the work, staff may call upon headquarters' biologists or contract the work out to consultants. (A Draft "Delineation Consultant Contracts Generic Scope of Work” has been developed to aid in this process.)
How long will it take?
The amount of field and office-work required for each wetland assessment task below can vary greatly depending on the task requested, the size of the project, complexity of the wetland(s), time of year, weather, site hydrology, and other factors.
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Generic Scope of Work for Delineation Consultant Contracts: What is expected of consultants that do delineation and assessment?
At times WSDOT may request that a qualified wetland consultant conduct wetland assessment and delineation work. WSDOT staff should use this draft generic scope of work as a guide for preparing consultant contracts.
Wetland Inventory: Are wetlands or buffers present within the project area?
To perform a wetland inventory, a wetland biologist searches for the presence of wetlands in a potential project impact area, uses wetland delineation methods to determine whether wetlands are present, but does not formally map specific wetland boundaries, and if wetlands are present, records approximately where they are located.
The Wetland Inventory Report is:
- Occasionally all that is needed at very early planning stages. For example, occasionally project planners are choosing between potential project sites and simply need to know if wetlands occur in an area or not. They may not need to know how big wetlands are, where they are, or how they are characterized until a project is being planned.
- Used to identify wetland resources early enough that changes to project design alternatives can be considered to avoid and/or minimize wetland impacts.
- Prepared by a WSDOT wetland biologist or qualified consultant.
- Submitted to the WSDOT Regional Environmental Coordinator and/or WSDOT Regional Wetland Contact and a copy is sent to the WSDOT Project Engineer.
Please consult the WSDOT regional environmental office to determine whether a wetland inventory report is required.
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Wetland Delineation: Where are the wetland boundaries “on the ground"?
To perform a wetland delineation, a wetland biologist:
- Must have delineation training and the appropriate ecological background and experience to conduct wetland delineations.
- Identifies the boundaries of wetlands present in a potential project impact area.
- Follows the WSDOT Wetlands Guidance on Cultural Resources (pdf 17 kb) to see if there are any known cultural resources within the project area or potential wetland sites, and works with cultural resources staff if there are historic sites present.
- Uses the appropriate three-factor approach (evidence of wetland vegetation, soils, and hydrology) listed in the Delineation Methods section below.
- Fully completes data sheets (with clarifying comments as needed) so that a wetland reviewer can follow the thought-process and have enough information to agree with a call.
- Marks the wetland boundary and regulatory soil pits in the field with flagging using the WSDOT Sensitive Areas Naming Convention. (pdf 12 kb)
- Follows the WSDOT Wetland Delineation Standard Operating Procedures. (pdf 42 kb)
- Follows all WSDOT Delineation Guidance on specific delineation issues unique to roadways.
- Encouraged to use items from the Delineation and Assessment Toolbox.
Delineation Methods: General instructions on approved methods for wetland delineation in Washington State:
WSDOT Delineation Guidance: WSDOT guidance on specific delineation issues
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WSDOT Tools for Delineation and Assessment
Routine Wetland Determination - Data Form (doc 130 kb) (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, format modified by WSDOT)
Arid West Routine Wetland Determination - Data Form (pdf 990 kb) (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, format modified by WSDOT) This data form must be used in conjunction with the Routine Wetland Determination Data Form above when determining wetlands in the Arid West Region.
Vegetation Tools
Soil Tools
Hydrology Tools
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Wetland Boundary Survey: Where are the wetlands on a map?
After completing a wetland delineation, the wetland biologist:
- Notifies the regional wetland contact that the wetland boundary has been flagged and is ready for a survey crew to record. Note: Because of the possibility that wetland flagging can get damaged over time (wind, wildlife, vandalism), a survey crew should survey the delineated wetland boundary and vegetation/soil data plots as soon as possible after delineation is complete.
- Informs the surveyors of the wetland buffer requirements for each wetland. In some circumstances, delineates the wetland boundaries concurrently with a survey crew to be on-site surveying the delineation. This allows an opportunity for biologist and surveyor to communicate directly.
- Reviews the completed survey to ensure that all wetland boundary flags and vegetation/soil data plot locations were surveyed and correctly mapped.
After surveying the wetlands in the field, the survey crew:
- Records the location of each wetland delineation flag, identified on maps by their alpha-numeric designation.
- Provides a digital basemap of the delineated wetland boundaries to be incorporated into project plans.
- Maps the wetlands and associated buffers at a minimum scale of 1"=300'.
- Provides a summary of wetland and buffer areas in square feet and acres to the wetland biologist and regional wetland contact. Wetland and buffer acreages should be rounded to no less than two decimal points to maintain accuracy (for example, 0.27 acre).
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Functions Characterization / Assessment: What do the wetlands do?
A wetland biologist may perform an assessment to determine and describe what functions the wetland provides, using one of the assessment tools below.
- Wetland Functions Characterization Tool for Linear Projects (pdf 119 Kb)
Also known as the Wetland Functions Best Professional Judgment (BPJ) Tool, Washington State Department of Transportation developed this method in 2000. WSDOT biologists routinely apply this method to all wetlands occurring within project right-of-ways and project areas.
- Washington State Wetland Function Assessment Method
Also known as WFAM, the Washington Department of Ecology developed this method in 1991. Because WFAM is so time consuming to perform, this method is only used when specifically required by regulatory agencies. WSDOT wetland biologists have utilized this method on their wetland mitigation bank sites. The method consists of two volumes, each containing two parts:
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Wetland Rating: How do the wetlands compare to other wetlands?
WSDOT uses the Department of Ecology’s Washington State Wetland Rating Systems (below) on all new projects.
The WSDOT condensed-formatting Microsoft Word versions of the Rating System forms below help keep the number of pages low for easy field use and allow for typed electronic forms in reports. These reflect June 2006 updates from the Department of Ecology.
WSDOT also applies any applicable county and city wetland rating systems defined in their Critical Areas Ordinances. Wetland Biologists must check local requirements.
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Other Aquatic Habitats: What other water resources occur in the area?
Aquatic habitats other than wetlands may be encountered on project sites and may also need to be assessed and documented. Examples of other aquatic habitats include:
Special training is required to delineate these habitats. For a list of staff available to regions to delineate other aquatic habitats, contact your Regional Environmental Coordinator, Regional Permit Coordinator, or Lead Regional Biologist.
Report Preparation: What are the wetland and aquatic resources in a project area?
In routine wetland practice, four WSDOT wetland reports (Wetland Inventory Reports, Wetland Technical Memorandums, Wetland Discipline Reports, and Wetland and Stream Assessment Reports) provide the basis for reporting on wetland assessments.
- A Wetland Inventory Report may be prepared for identification of reasonable alternatives early in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or Environmental Assessment (EA) scoping process.
- A Wetland Technical Memorandum for a Categorical Exclusion, a Documented Categorical Exclusion or an EA is prepared by WSDOT for each project that requires documentation for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and/or the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and will potentially impact wetlands.
- A Wetland Discipline Report may be needed on a project with significant wetland impacts, which require an EIS. Potentially, an EIS with minimal wetland impacts may require a Wetland Technical Memorandum instead of a discipline report.
- A Wetland and Stream Assessment Report is prepared for permitting as part of the Joint Aquatic Resource Permits Application (JARPA) process. The Wetland and Stream Assessment Report is the most commonly used assessment report and is discussed below.
The WSDOT Wetland and Stream Assessment Report Template. (doc 457 kb) is used as the template for all WSDOT related wetland and/or stream assessment reports.
Note: The Wetland/Biology Report Template is now outdated and should no longer be used.
The Wetland and Stream Assessment Report:
- Describes the existing wetland and aquatic resources of a potential project area.
- Summarizes the findings of the wetland and stream delineations and assessments.
- Requires wetland delineation, surveying, classification, rating, and functions assessment.
- Provides information to allow planners to avoid and/or minimize impacts of a project.
- Is used as part of the permit application in conjunction with the Wetland and Stream Mitigation Report.
- Prepared by a qualified WSDOT wetland biologist or qualified consultant.
- Submitted to the WSDOT Regional Environmental Coordinator and/or WSDOT Regional Wetland Contact and a copy is sent to the WSDOT Project Engineer.
Please consult the WSDOT regional environmental office to determine whether a Stream Report is required in addition to the Wetland Biology Report.
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Buffer Determination: Where are the wetland buffers?
What are buffers?
The Department of Ecology defines buffers, in (Appendix 8-C and Appendix 8-E) of Wetlands in Washington State Volume 2: Guidance for Protecting and Managing Wetlands (Granger et al. 2005), as follows:
Buffers are the uplands [or wetlands] adjacent to an aquatic resource that can, through various physical, chemical, and/or biological processes, reduce impacts to the wetland from adjacent land uses.
- Buffers can also provide the terrestrial [or wetland] habitats necessary for many species of wildlife that use wetlands to meet some of their needs.
- The primary purpose of buffers is to protect and maintain the wide variety of functions and values provided by wetlands.
- The physical characteristics of buffers (slope, soils, vegetation, and width) determine how well buffers reduce the adverse impacts of human development and provide the habitat needed by wildlife species that use wetlands.
How big are wetland buffers?
WSDOT applies the corresponding buffer requirements from federal, state, and local governments to all wetlands identified within a project area based on each wetland’s rating. Many local Critical Areas Ordinances have adopted the buffer widths suggested by Department of Ecology’s guidance in Chapter 6.6 of Wetlands in Washington State.
How are buffers incorporated into the project?
Wetland biologists inform the Project Design Team of:
- The required buffer width of each delineated wetland within the project area
- Any wetland buffers that extend into the project area, even though the wetland itself is located outside the project area and may not have been delineated.
WSDOT wetland biologists and consultants must follow the guidance below when considering buffer impacts:
Avoidance, Minimization, and Impact Assessment: How are projects designed to protect wetlands?
Once wetlands and other aquatic resources have been delineated and assessed, project designers overlay their locations with the project footprint. The designers adjust the project, according to the following mitigation sequence, to decrease impacts to wetlands. Mitigation means to reduce the severity of an action or situation. Mitigation sequencing refers to the order in which different mitigation actions are used.
According to the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (Chapter 197.11 WAC), wetland mitigation involves the following sequence of steps:
- Avoid the impact altogether by not taking a certain action or parts of an action.
- Minimize impacts by limiting the degree or magnitude of the action and its implementation by using appropriate technology or by taking affirmative steps to avoid or reduce impacts.
- Rectify the impact by repairing, rehabilitating, or restoring the affected environment.
- Reduce or eliminate the impact over time by preservation and maintenance operations during the life of the action.
- Compensate for the impact by replacing, enhancing, or providing substitute resources or environments.
- Monitor the impact and take appropriate corrective measures.
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