The Norfolk District believes it beneficial to the public to provide seasonal Public Notices (PNs) regarding preceding precipitation conditions for shallow groundwater well monitoring associated with wetland determinations. The purpose of this PN is to inform the public of relevant parts of our process, and our interpretation and findings regarding current precipitation conditions for the 2014 monitoring season. This is accomplished by our analysis of several rainfall recording stations and our use of hydrology monitoring wells spaced across the Hampton Roads region. For the upcoming monitoring season, precipitation for southeastern Virginia has been within normal ranges (Norfolk [Norfolk International Airport] and Suffolk [Lake Kilby] data) as of the end of March 2014. Given the current and antecedent conditions at this time, the public has the option to submit well data to the Corps for consideration in its wetland determinations for the Southside, provided it complies with the guidance and standards noted herein. However, for the Peninsula, (Hampton [Joint Base Langley-Eustis]) data) precipitation has been below the 30th percentile (below normal range) for the timeframe of January through March, 2014. Given the current and antecedent conditions at this time, we conclude that groundwater well data alone may be unreliable for wetland determinations on the Peninsula this year.
BACKGROUND: Wetlands are defined as "those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions" (33 CFR 328.3(b)(emphasis added). Wetland determinations typically entail observation of field indicators of wetland vegetation, hydric (wetland) soils, and wetland hydrology.
Occasionally, property owners or their agents may elect to install and monitor shallow groundwater wells for the late winter and spring seasons to gather data about the levels and duration of groundwater (i.e. saturated soil conditions) for particular areas to attempt to clarify the limits of wetlands. There is no requirement that well data be submitted to obtain wetland delineations. However, the Corps does consider groundwater well data in its determinations if such data are collected in accordance with proper well installation and monitoring standards and during periods consistent with "normal circumstances" prior to and during the monitoring period.
Any monitoring wells used to facilitate wetland hydrology determinations should be installed and monitored in accordance with the guidelines in Technical Standard for Water-Table Monitoring of Potential Wetland Sites, ERDC-TN-WRAP-05-2.
Before we will consider well data for a specified site, we require submittal and approval of a well monitoring plan, which includes a review of the location and installation of the monitoring wells. In addition, during the monitoring season (typically February through April), the Corps' staff must be allowed periodic access to the particular sites and wells without any prior notice to provide proper quality assurance.
When reviewing shallow groundwater well data in order to determine whether normal circumstances for wetland hydrology are present, we consider the amount and distribution of precipitation prior to the start of the growing season (after leaf drop in the fall) and during the early growing season. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) National Water and Climate Center calculates normal precipitation ranges for each month (defined as between the 30th and 70th percentiles of monthly precipitation totals) for NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) stations throughout the United States. The information for Virginia is published in WETS tables available from the NRCS.
2014 PRECIPITATION: Short-term water-table monitoring data (i.e., <10 years) must be evaluated with consideration of the amount and distribution of precipitation that fell prior to the beginning of the growing season (but after leaf drop in the fall). Although we analyze all months after leaf drop, this timeframe is generally at least 3 months prior to the beginning of the growing season each year. Precipitation monthly totals for the 3 months preceding this PN for Southside Virginia have been within normal ranges for Norfolk and Lake Kilby. However, precipitation monthly totals for Langley have been below the 30th percentile (below normal range) (summary data attached). As with PNs on this topic issued for previous years, this assessment only analyzes whether precipitation amounts for the prior three months fall within the 30th to 70th percentiles for the start of the growing season. As the growing season progresses rainfall conditions will be similarly analyzed until full leaf-out, generally around mid- to late April. Dry wells in a drier-than-typical rainfall period and wet wells in a wetter-than-typical rainfall period are of limited value in making definitive determinations regarding wetland hydrology.
This analysis is based on evaluation of precipitation data for three WETS stations in southeastern Virginia (Norfolk, Lake Kilby & Langley). Rainfall trends (e.g., departure from normal for different time periods) for the entire Commonwealth are available from NWS’s Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service, and they correspond well with our more detailed analysis for Tidewater, Virginia. Lastly, water levels at shallow groundwater reference well sites in southeastern Virginia that have been monitored for several years are consistent with water levels during normal rainfall conditions at this time of year. While groundwater levels have risen to within 12 inches of the soil surface for most of the reference wells as of early March, we cannot predict how long this condition will continue. Precipitation trends control this. Even with the normal to above normal conditions outlined herein, some sites may be late to exhibit full seasonal groundwater recharge, and near-surface hydrology.
Regardless of precipitation conditions, we will continue to make wetland determinations based on the field indicators of vegetation, soils, and wetland hydrology described in the Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual: Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain Region (version 2.0), the Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual: Eastern Mountains and Piedmont Region (version 2.0), including use of Chapter 5 when appropriate, and portions of the Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual (1987) that were not replaced by the regional supplements.
GROWING SEASON: Beginning and ending dates of the growing season are needed in the event water-table monitoring data must be analyzed for wetland hydrology determinations. The Regional Supplements state that the growing season has begun and is ongoing in a given year when two or more different non-evergreen vascular plant species growing on the site or surrounding areas exhibit certain indicators of biological activity, or when soil temperature measured at the 12-in. (30-cm) depth is 41 °F (5 °C) or higher. A graph of soil temperature data collected at ten reference sites in southeastern Virginia (Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Hampton, York County, Suffolk and Isle of Wight County) from early November 2014 to early March 2014 is attached. The data collected to date indicates that all sites had soil temperatures which remained above 41 °F this season, with the exception of one reading at one site on the Peninsula (Hampton) and four readings at one site on the Southside (Buckhorn, Suffolk). Several of the indicators of plant biological activity signaling the start of the growing season as described in the Regional Supplements were observed broadly across southeastern Virginia as early as February 20, 2014. If an exact growing season start date is needed for a particular location, site-specific data would be needed as noted in the Supplements.
This PN does not relieve those that have constructed wetland mitigation projects from monitoring hydrologic conditions. Monitoring should be conducted in accordance with the associated permit, approved plan, or mitigation banking instrument. Credits will be released from mitigation banks for those areas meeting all applicable performance standards, including hydrologic criteria.
William T. Walker
Chief, Regulatory Branch