EPA Region 5 Wetlands Supplement: Incorporating Wetlands into Watershed Planning February 2013 Photograph Sources All photographs are in the public domain. Clockwise starting in the upper left: 1. R. Hagerty. 2001. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Horicon National Wildlife Refuge. Wetland sunrise; water and reeds in foreground with plant growth in background. (Wisconsin) 2. R. Hagerty. 2003. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A close-up view of a whooping crane photographed at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Endangered species. 3. J. Hollingsworth and K. Hollingsworth. 2008. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Hooded Merganser brood, Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Michigan. 4. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2008. Thirty-acre wetland restoration in Rice County, Minnesota. 5. D. Becker. 2010. U.S. Geological Survey. Floodwaters at Moorhead, Minnesota. 6. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2009. Three men using equipment to take core samples at Roxanna Marsh, Grand Calumet River, in Hammond, Indiana, as part of a wetland restoration effort and damage assessment process. EPA Region 5 Wetlands Supplement Contents Contents Acronyms and Abbreviations ..................................................................................................... vii 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 What Is the Purpose of This Supplement? ........................................................................ 1 1.2 Why Include Wetlands in Watershed Planning? ........................................................... 2 1.2.1 Wetland Functions and Values ......................................................................... 2 1.2.2 Historical and Current Protection of Wetlands .................................................. 5 1.3 What’s Inside the Document? ...................................................................................... 7 2. Wetland Basics ...................................................................................................................... 9 2.1 Regulatory Wetland Definition ..................................................................................... 9 2.2 Wetland Types ............................................................................................................. 9 2.3 Wetland Classification Systems ..................................................................................10 2.3.1 USFWS Classification System ........................................................................10 2.3.2 HGM Classification System and Approach ......................................................13 2.3.3 Distinctions Between the USFWS and HGM Classification Systems ...............13 2.3.4 NWIPlus ..........................................................................................................14 2.3.5 Summary ........................................................................................................14 3. Incorporating Wetland Restoration, Enhancement, and Creation into Watershed Management Plans ...............................................................................................................15 3.1 Returning Wetlands to the Landscape ........................................................................15 3.2 When to Include Wetlands in Watershed Plans ..........................................................16 3.3 Watershed Planning Considerations When Incorporating Wetlands ...........................19 3.3.1 Building Partnerships ......................................................................................19 3.3.2 Characterizing the Watershed .........................................................................20 3.3.3 Finalizing Goals and Identifying Solutions .......................................................24 3.4 Watershed Implementation Considerations When Incorporating Wetlands .................26 3.4.1 Developing an Implementation Plan ................................................................26 3.4.2 Using Reference Wetlands to Develop Site Plans and Measure Progress ......27 3.4.3 Restoration, Enhancement, and Creation Techniques ....................................28 3.4.4 Other Design Considerations for Wetland Projects .........................................29 3.4.5 Project-Specific Implementation Activities .......................................................35 3.5 Watershed Monitoring Considerations When Incorporating Wetlands .........................36 3.5.1 Wetland Project Site Monitoring ......................................................................37 3.5.2 Performance Standards ..................................................................................38 3.6 Watershed Long-term Management Considerations When Incorporating Wetlands ....40 Incorporating Wetlands into Watershed Planning iii EPA Region 5 Wetlands Supplement Contents 4. Approaches for Assessing Wetlands in a Watershed Context ...............................................43 4.1 Michigan’s Landscape Level Wetland Functional Assessment Tool and Wetland Restoration Prioritization Model ..................................................................................44 4.1.1 Overview of Michigan’s Wetland Assessment Tool .........................................45 4.1.2 Pilot Test of the LLWFA in the Paw Paw River Watershed ..............................45 4.1.3 Clinton River Watershed LLWFA and Restoration Prioritization ......................52 4.1.4 Conclusion ......................................................................................................59 4.2 Virginia’s Catalog of Known and Predicted Wetlands ..................................................60 4.2.1 Overview .........................................................................................................61 4.2.2 Pamunkey River Watershed ............................................................................61 4.2.3 Virginia Wetland Catalog Components ............................................................62 4.2.4 The Results .....................................................................................................64 4.2.5 Summary ........................................................................................................65 4.3 Assessing Wetland Restoration Potential for the Cuyahoga River Watershed (Ohio) .67 4.3.1 Watershed Description ....................................................................................67 4.3.2 Cuyahoga River Watershed Assessment Components ...................................67 4.3.3 The Results .....................................................................................................68 4.3.4 Summary ........................................................................................................69 4.4 Alternative Futures Analysis (AFA) of Farmington Bay Wetlands in the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem (Utah) .......................................................................................................71 4.4.1 Purpose and Overview ....................................................................................71 4.4.2 AFA Approach .................................................................................................72 4.4.3 Land Use Scenarios, Wetland System Templates, and Ecosystem Service Models ............................................................................................................72 4.4.4 Results ............................................................................................................73 4.4.5 Summary ........................................................................................................74 4.5 Conclusion: A Final Word ...........................................................................................77 References ...............................................................................................................................80 Appendices Appendix A: Federal Programs and Acts Affecting Wetlands in the United States .................. A-1 Appendix B: Example Assessment Data and Sources ............................................................ B-1 Appendix C: Monitoring Methods ............................................................................................ C-1 Appendix D: Wetlands Restoration, Enhancement, and Creation Techniques ........................ D-1 Incorporating Wetlands into Watershed Planning iv EPA Region 5 Wetlands Supplement Exhibits Exhibits Exhibit 1. Wetland Functions in the Watershed ............................................................................. 3 Exhibit 2. Wetland Values in the Watershed .................................................................................. 5 Exhibit 3. Wetland Type Descriptors ............................................................................................. 9 Exhibit 4a. Riverine Wetland System ............................................................................................ 11 Exhibit 4b. Lacustrine Wetland System ......................................................................................... 12 Exhibit 4c. Palustrine Wetland System .......................................................................................... 12 Exhibit 5. Hydrogeomorphic Classes of Wetlands Showing Dominant Water Sources, Hydrodynamics, and Examples of Subclasses .............................................................. 13 Exhibit