wetlands
Wetland Assessments and Delineations
To facilitate the orderly development of a site, it is important to have a wetland assessment performed prior to the initiation of the site planning effort. Failure to take into account the wetland constraints of the site can lead to project delays, unrealized expectations, and costly redesign. Our staff conducts wetland assessments to determine if jurisdictional waters/wetlands occur and their approximate locations. However, a formal wetland delineation is required to receive confirmation from the USACE of the boundaries of jurisdictional waters of the US.
SME’s environmental scientists perform wetland delineations per USACE 1987 Wetland Delineation Manual – as well as the ‘Western Mountain, Valley and Coastal’ and ‘Arid West’ regional supplements. These procedures include an analysis of vegetation, soils and hydrology. Once our wetland scientists determine the wetland boundaries, SME staff maps and models the boundaries in a CAD/GIS database and provides detailed wetland maps overlaying the project design.
Wetland Mitigation
Impacts to wetlands and streams require justification and compensatory mitigation under the authority of the USACE and EPA. SME provides
evaluation of on and off site mitigation
opportunities, compensation planning for threatened or endangered species and landscape architectural design services for created/restored/enhanced wetlands. SME staff can also assist with assessments of wetland functional values. SME is adept at utilizing the USACE’s Wetland Evaluation Technique (WET), the Hydrogeomorphic functional assessment method (HGM), and the USFWS’s accepted Habitat Evaluation Procedure (HEP) to determine mitigation requirements.
Design. SME staff has experience with wetland mitigation planning, design of detailed wetland mitigation and restoration plans, and implementation of wetland mitigation banks. SME staff have designed and constructed numerous wetland habitat mitigation projects including salt marsh, emergent marsh and vernal pool reconstruction (in excess of 800 constructed wetland sites since 1986) and integration of stormwater detention/treatment into comprehensive wetland habitat mitigation planning. SME staff also provides landscape architectural design services for created/restored/enhanced wetlands, including a grading plan and planting plan.
Construction. SME staff provides on-site construction supervision to ensure success of the mitigation site.
Monitoring. SME provides long-term monitoring for mitigation compliance, including vegetation and habitat surveys, photographic recordation, hydrologic surveys, water quality monitoring, evaluation of site for success criteria, and annual reporting.
Mitigation Banking. USACE regulations require “appropriate and practicable” compensatory mitigation to replace functional losses to aquatic resources. In many instances, off-site mitigation projects provide a greater variety of functions and values than would be possible on-site. SME has designed and constructed several mitigation banks and off-site mitigation projects. SME also maintains a close relationship with Animas River Wetland Mitigation, Inc. (ARWM) that contains off-site mitigation created for several projects located in the Four Corners Area.
