A Guide to Hydric Soils in the Mid-Atlantic Region Version 2.0 A Guide to Hydric Soils in the Mid-Atlantic Region Version 2.0 Editors Lenore Matula Vasilas Soil Scientist USDA, NRCS, Washington, DC Bruce LaRue Vasilas Professor of Plant and Soil Sciences University of Delaware Compiled by the Mid-Atlantic Hydric Soils Committee Published in 2011 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Morgantown, West Virginia A Guide to Hydric Soils in the Mid-Atlantic Region 2 Reference citation for this publication: Mid-Atlantic Hydric Soils Committee. 2011. A guide to hydric soils in the Mid-Atlantic Region, ver. 2.0. L.M. Vasilas and B.L. Vasilas (eds.). USDA, NRCS, Morgantown, WV. Available on CD and at <http://soils.usda.gov/technical/>. Cover: A profile of Othello silt loam (fine-silty, mixed, active, mesic Typic Endoaquults) from a mineral flat in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland. This hydric soil meets Field Indicator F3 (Depleted Matrix). (Photo by M.C. 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A Guide to Hydric Soils in the Mid-Atlantic Region 3 Authors W. Lee Daniels, Professor of Soil Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Jeffry J. Fuhrmann, Professor of Soil Microbiology, University of Delaware John M. Galbraith, Associate Professor of Soil Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Erin Patrick, Office Automation Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Michigan Martin C. Rabenhorst, Professor of Pedology, University of Maryland Carl E. Robinette, District Conservationist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Maryland Mary Anne Thiesing, Regional Wetland Ecologist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 Pamela J. Thomas, State Soil Scientist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, South Carolina Bruce L. Vasilas, Professor of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware Lenore M. Vasilas, Soil Scientist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington, DC G. Richard Whittecar, Associate Professor of Geology, Old Dominion University A Guide to Hydric Soils in the Mid-Atlantic Region 4 Acknowledgments The production of this document would not have been possible without the initiative of the Mid-Atlantic Hydric Soils Committee. This endeavor represents the collaborative efforts of individuals from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (New Jersey, New York, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Delaware, and Florida); U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Maryland Department of Environment; New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Old Dominion University; University of Maryland; University of Delaware; University of Tennessee; North Carolina State University; and University of Illinois. In addition to the aforementioned authors, a number of individuals made significant contributions to this document by reviewing the chapters or assisting with editing and graphics. In this regard, the editors acknowledge the efforts of the following individuals: Skip Bell, MLRA Soil Survey Leader, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, MLRA Soil Survey Office 13-3, West Virginia Leander Brown, Soil Scientist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, North Carolina Steve Carlisle, Soil Scientist, retired, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, New York Stephen G. Carpenter, State Soil Scientist and MLRA Region 13 Staff Leader, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, MLRA Soil Survey Region 13 Office, West Virginia Robert Darmody, Professor of Pedology, University of Illinois Jake Eckenrode, Soil Scientist, retired, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Pennsylvania John M. Galbraith, Associate Professor of Soil Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Nancy Grundahl, Environmental Engineer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3 (cover design) G. Wade Hurt, Soil Scientist, retired, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Florida Gary Jellick, President, Acorn Environmental, Inc.; Maryland Phillip S. King, Soil Scientist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Delaware David H. Kingsbury, Senior Regional Soil Scientist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, MLRA Soil Survey Region 13 Office, West Virginia Leanne Marzoratti, Technical Design Specialist, North Carolina Brian Needelman, Associate Professor of Soil Landscape Analysis and Information Systems, University of Maryland A Guide to Hydric Soils in the Mid-Atlantic Region 5 Erin Patrick, Office Automation Clerk, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Michigan Martin C. Rabenhorst, Professor of Pedology, University of Maryland Mark Radosevich, Professor of Soil Microbiology, University of Tennessee William Ritter, Professor of Bioresources Engineering, University of Delaware Albert Rizzo, Soil Scientist, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Maryland Daniel P. Shinder, Soil Scientist, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Ralph Spagnolo, Watershed Program Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 3 Stephen Sprecher, Resource Soil Scientist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, New York Ed Stein, Soil Scientist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, New York Ronnie L. Taylor, State Soil Scientist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, New Jersey Mary Anne Thiesing, Regional Wetland Ecologist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 Jeff Thompson, Wetland Specialist, Maryland Department of Environment Karen Vaughan, Soil Scientist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Utah Michael Vepraskas, Professor of Soil Science, North Carolina State University Michael Whited, Soil Scientist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Minnesota A Guide to Hydric Soils in the Mid-Atlantic Region 6 Table of Contents Chapter 1, Hydric Soils and Wetland Regulation ......... 8 Lenore M. Vasilas and Bruce L. Vasilas Chapter 2, Hydric Soils and Wetland Functions......... 12 Bruce L. Vasilas Chapter 3, The Factors of Soil Formation ................... 17 Martin C. Rabenhorst Chapter 4, Pedogenesis of Hydric Soils— Hydropedology ........................................................... 25 Martin C. Rabenhorst Chapter 5, Microbiology of Hydric Soils ..................... 41 Bruce L. Vasilas and Jeffry J. Fuhrmann Chapter 6, Hydrology of Hydric Soils .......................... 48 Bruce L. Vasilas Chapter 7, Describing Hydric Soils .............................. 58 John M. Galbraith and Lenore M. Vasilas Chapter 8, Mid-Atlantic Wetland Landscapes and Hydric Soil Indicators ........................................ 73 Mary Anne Thiesing, Lenore M. Vasilas, and Erin Patrick Chapter 9, Using Soil Survey Information to Identify Hydric Soils .................................................. 80 John M. Galbraith and Pamela J. Thomas A Guide to Hydric Soils in the Mid-Atlantic Region 7 Chapter 10, Identifying Problem Hydric Soils in the Mid-Atlantic Region........................................ 90 Carl E. Robinette, Martin C. Rabenhorst, and Lenore M. Vasilas Chapter 11, Monitoring Hydric Soils ......................... 109 Bruce L. Vasilas and Lenore M. Vasilas Chapter 12, Assessing Soil and Hydrologic Properties for the Successful Creation of Nontidal Wetlands ............................................... 120 W. Lee Daniels and G. Richard Whittecar References...................................................................... 131 A Guide to Hydric Soils in the Mid-Atlantic Region 8 Chapter 1 Hydric Soils and Wetland Regulation Lenore M. Vasilas and Bruce L. Vasilas Identification of soils as “hydric” is critical to the protection of wetlands under the Clean Water Act (CWA) (Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 2008). According to the “Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual” (hereafter referred to as the “Delineation Manual”) (Environmental Laboratory, 1987), the presence of a hydric soil is one of three factors that must be met in order for an area to meet the definition of a jurisdictional wetland. The other two are the presence of hydrophytic vegetation and wetland hydrology. The use of the Delineation