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MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR ACCEPTANCE OF PRELIMINARY WETLANDS DELINEATIONS November 30, 2001 The Regulatory Branch of the Sacramento District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (District), receives numerous requests to perform wetlands delineations for potential applicants for permits under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Due to limited staff and resources, the response time can be several months or longer. To expedite this process, the District encourages applicants to use consultants to conduct preliminary wetlands delineations, especially for large and/or complex areas. Preliminary delineations may then be submitted to the District for review and verification. While accurate delineations by qualified individuals have resulted in a quicker review and response from the District, substandard or inaccurate delineations have resulted in unnecessary time delays for applicants. These delays are due to insufficient, incomplete, or conflicting data, which prevent the District from verifying the proposed wetland boundaries_ Such delineations must he returned by the nichict to the applicant or consultant for revision. To improve the quality and consistency of delineations, the District has developed minimum standards necessary for accepting a delineation for verification of the jurisdictional boundaries. Any submittal that does not meet these requirements will be returned to the applicant or consultant. All deficiencies must be corrected by the applicant or a consultant prior to re -submittal. A. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS The preliminary wetlands delineation report shall include: ❑ A statement that the delineation has been conducted in accordance with the 1987 "Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual." ❑ A narrative describing the wetlands. ❑ Justification for the wetlands boundaries. ❑ The total acreage of the project site. ❑ Existing field conditions such as season and flood/drought conditions. ❑ A discussion of the hydrology source(subsurface or surface, including potential irrigation influence) and drainage gradients. ❑ A site location map, preferably outlined on a 7.5 -minute USGS quadrangle, along with any other pertinent maps of the site. The map must provide the name of the USGS quadrangle, Section, Township, Range, and UTM or latitude and longitude. ❑ Directions to the site. ❑ Contact information for the applicant(s) and property owner(s). o A discussion of plant communities and habitat types present on the site and a list of the scientific name, common name(s), and indicator status of all plants. ❑ Soil descriptions, soil map(s), and a list of hydric soils or soils with hydric inclusions on the site. ❑ Any observed and/or documented examples of an interstate or foreign commerce connection. Examples include, but are not limited to: • Recreational or other use by interstate or foreign travelers. • Sale offish or shellfish in interstate or foreign commerce. • Use by industries, including agriculture, operating in interstate or foreign commerce. u A delineation map at an appropriate scale (for most projects, a scale of one inch to 100 or 200 feet).