UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY OCTOBER 1992 EPA HABITAT SURVEYS FOR THE THREATENED SWAMP PINK (HELONIAS BULLATA) AND THE THREATENED KNIESKERN'S BEAKED-RUSH (RHYNCHQSPQRA KNIESKERNIH AT VARIOUS NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST SITES IN NEW JERSEY CBA 008 01089 HABITAT SURVEYS FOR THE THREATENED SWAMP PINK (HELONIAS BULLATA) AND THE THREATENED KNIESKERN'S BEAKED-RUSH (RHYNCHOSPORA KNIESKERNII) AT VARIOUS NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST SITES IN NEW JERSEY Prepared by: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region II New York, New York With Assistance from: Gannett Fleming, Inc. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania In Association with: EcolSciences, Inc. Rockaway, New Jersey October 30, 1992 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES iii LIST OF TABLES iv I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. NATURAL HISTORY 4 A. Swamp Pink 4 1. Background 4 2. Description " 5 3. Habitat Requirements 7 B. Knieskern's Beaked-Rush 11 1. Background 11 2. Description 11 3. Habitat Requirements 12 III. SITE DESCRIPTIONS 16 A. Wi 1 son Farm 17 1. Site Description and History 17 2. Proposed Remedial Action . 19 3. Existing Mapping of Environmental Conditions 19 4. Previous On-site Habitat Studies 22 B. Woodland Township/Route 532 22 1. Site Description and History 22 2. Proposed Remedial Action .... 25 3. Existing Mapping of Environmental Conditions 26 4. Previous On-site Habitat Studies 29 C. Woodland Township/Route 72 29 1. Site Description and History . 29 2. Proposed Remedial Action 32 3. Existing Mapping of Environmental Conditions 33 4. Previous On-site Habitat Studies 35 D. Chemsol, Inc 35 1. Site Description and History 35 2. Proposed Remedial Action 38 3. Existing Mapping of Environmental Conditions 40 4. Previous On-site Habitat Studies ... 43 E. Evor Phillips Leasing 43 1. Site Description and History 43 2. Proposed Remedial Action ..... 43 3. Existing Mapping of Environmental Conditions 45 4. Previous On-site Habitat Studies 49 F. Ewan Property 49 1. Site Description and History 49 2. Proposed Remedial Action 49 3. Existing Mapping of Environmental Conditions 52 4. - Previous On-site Habitat Studies 54 G. Ciba-Geigy 54 1. Site Description and History 54 2. Proposed Remedial Action 57 3. Existing Mapping of Environmental Conditions 58 4. Previous On-site Habitat Studies 61 CBA 008 01091 Table of Contents (continued) Page H. Lang Property . ; 63 1. Site Description and History 63 2. Proposed Remedial Action 65 3. Existing Mapping of Environmental Conditions 65 4. Previous On-site Habitat Studies 67 IV. FIELD SURVEY RATIONALE 70 A. Wilson Farm 70 1. Swamp Pink 70 a. Habitat Comparison 70 b. Existing Records 70 c. Recommendation 70 B. Woodland Township/Route 532 70 1. Swamp Pink 70 a. Habitat Comparison 70 b. Existing Records 73 c. Recommendation 73 2. Knieskern's Beaked-rush ..... 73 a. Habitat Comparison 73 b. Existing Records 73 c. Recommendation 74 C. Woodland Township/Route 72 74 1. Swamp Pi nk 74 a. Habitat Comparison 74 b. Existing Records 74 c. Recommendation 74 2. Knieskern's Beaked-rush 74 a. Habitat Comparison 74 b. Existing Records 75 c. Recommendation 75 D. Evor Phillips Leasing 75 1. Swamp Pink 75 a. Habitat Comparison 75 b. Existing Records 75 c. Recommendation 76 E. Chemsol Inc 76 1. Swamp Pink 76 a. Habitat Comparison 76 b. Existing Records 76 c. Recommendation 76 F. Ewan Property 77 1. Swamp Pink 77 a. Habitat Comparison 77 b. Existing Records 77 c. Recommendation 77 G. Ciba Geigy 77 1. - Swamp Pi nk 77 a. Habitat Comparison 77 b. Existing Records 77 c. Recommendation 78 -i i- < ;CBA 008 01092 Table of Contents (continued) Page 2. Knieskern*s Beaked-rush 78 a. Habitat Comparison 78 b. Existing Records 78 c. Recommendation 78 H. Lang Property 79 1. Swamp Pink 79 a. Habitat Comparison 79 b. Existing Records 79 c. Recommendation 79 2. Knieskern's Beaked-rush 79 a. Habitat Comparison 79 b. Existing Records 79 c. Recommendation 80 V. HABITAT SURVEY WORK PLAN 81 A. Introduction 81 B. Study Seasonality 81 C. Plant Identification 82 D. Field Survey 82 1. Phase I - Site Reconnaissance with RPM 83 2. Phase II - Habitat Mapping 83 3. Phase III - Field Survey Method 83 VI. RESULTS OF THE HABITAT SURVEY 85 A. Wilson Farm 85 B. Woodland Township/Route 532 8'6 C. Woodland Township/Route 72 86 D. Ewan Property 87 E. Ciba-Geigy . 87 F. Lang Property 88 VII. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 89 REFERENCES 90 APPENDIX A - USFWS Consultation Letters APPENDIX B - Habitat Mapping APPENDIX C - Results of Timed Meander Search APPENDIX D - Species Effort Curves LIST OF FIGURES Figure - Description Page 1 Distribution Map for Swamp Pink and Knieskern's Beaked-rush in New Jersey 6 -iii- . ( i i i CBA 008 01093 Table of Contents List of Figures (continued) Figure Description Page 2 Line Drawing of Swamp Pink 8 3 Line Drawing of Knieskern's Beaked-rush 13 4A Site Location: Wilson Farm 18 4B USFWS NWI Mapping: Wilson Farm 20 4C SCS Soils Mapping: Wilson Farm 21 4D Pine Barrens Mapping: Wilson Farm 23 5A Site Location: Woodland/Route 532 24 5B USFWS NWI Mapping: Woodland/Route 532 27 5C SCS Soils Mapping: Woodland/Route 532 28 5D Pine Barrens Mapping: Woodland/Route 532 30 6A Site Location: Woodland/Route 72 31 6B USFWS NWI Mapping: Woodland/Route 72 .34 6C SCS Soils Mapping: Woodland/Route 72 36 6D Pine Barrens Mapping: Woodland/Route 72 37 7A Site Location: Chemsol Inc 39 7B USFWS NWI Mapping: Chemsol Inc 41 7C SCS Soils Mapping: Chemsol Inc ' 42 8A Site Location: Evor Phillips Leasing 44 8B USFWS NWI Mapping: Evor Phillips Leasing 46 8C SCS Soils Mapping: Evor Phillips Leasing 47 8D Pine Barrens Mapping: Evor Phillips Leasing 48 9A Site Location: Ewan Property 50 9B USFWS NWI Mapping: Ewan Property 51 9C SCS Soils Mapping: Ewan Property 53 9D Pine Barrens Mapping: Ewan Property 55 10A Site Location: Ciba-Geigy . 56 10B USFWS NWI Mapping: Ciba-Geigy 59 IOC SCS Soils Mapping: Ciba-Geigy 60 10D Pine Barrens Mapping: Ciba-Geigy 62 11A Site Location: Lang Property 64 11B USFWS NWI Mapping: Lang Property 66 11C SCS Soils Mapping: Lang Property 68 11D Pine Barrens Mapping: Lang Property 69 LIST OF TABLES Table Description Page 1 Vegetation Associates of Helonias bullata 9 2 Vegetation Associates of Rhynchospora knieskernii . 14 3 Summary of Findings 71 [ CBA 008 01094 I. INTRODUCTION The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, (CERCLA), commonly referred to as "Superfund", was enacted in December 1980. Under CERCLA, the federal government is authorized to compel responsible parties to conduct cleanup of hazardous waste sites or initiate cleanup actions and then determine who is liable for the cost of clean-up. The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) provided additional funds for Superfund cleanups but did not significantly change the basic principles of Superfund. Section 121 of CERCLA establishes general rules for selecting and implementing remedial actions at Superfund sites. This section specifies that remedial actions must comply with all applicable, relevant and appropriate requirements (ARARs). Standards, requirements, criteria or limitations under any federal environmental law are to be met if legally applicable or relevant and appropriate. Section 7(a) of the Endangered Species Act (1973) requires federal agencies to ensure that actions they authorize, fund, or carry out are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of federally endangered and/or threatened species, or adversely modify or destroy the critical habitats of such species. In compliance with this Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducts informal consultations with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to determine whether there are any federally endangered and/or threatened species or critical habitats present on or in the vicinity of CERCLA National Priorities List (NPL) sites. As a result of several recent informal consultations (Appendix A), the potential for the presence of the threatened plant species, swamp pink (Helonias bullata). has been identified within the vicinity of various NPL sites in New Jersey, including: 1. WiJson Farm, Ocean County . ; 2. Woodland Township/Route 532, Burlington County 3. Woodland Township/Route 72.,. Burlington County I CBA 008 01095 4. Chemsol Inc., Middlesex County 5. Evor Phillips Leasing, Middlesex County 6. Ewan Property, Burlington County 7. Ciba-Geigy, Ocean County 8. Lang Property, Burlington County Additionally, the potential for the occurrence of the habitat of another threatened plant, Knieskern's beaked-rush (Rhvnchospora knieskernii). has also been identified near several sites, including: 1. Ciba-Geigy, Ocean County 2. Lang Property, Burlington County 3. Woodland Township/Route 532, Burlington County 4. Woodland Township/Route 72, Burlington County The objective of this special study is to determine through a literature search and possible field survey, whether the federally threatened plant species swamp pink and Knieskern's beaked-rush or their habitats are present on the above-listed NPL sites. Furthermore, because the impact of remedial activities on the above-listed NPL sites may extend beyond the boundaries of the sites, study areas were defined based upon the location of potential habitat for the threatened plant species that may be affected by site remediation. The Scope of Work for this special study is comprised of task series covering the following items: 1. A review of existing information concerning the habitat requirements of the species; 2. A review of known sightings or locations of suitable species habitat in the vicinity of each of the NPL sites; 3. Development of a habitat survey work plan; 4. Implementation of the habitat survey work plan; and 5. Documentation of the presence or absence of the species in a technicaT report. -2- CBA 008 01096 j This Habitat Survey presents the findings of the literature review phase and field survey phase of the study.