Notice of wetland conservation act decision

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INTRODUCTION The subject parcel is approximately 3.3 acres and is dominated by grasses on the west side and is forested on the east side. The topography of the site has its highest point at the center of the property and declines going east and going west from center. The surrounding land use consists mostly of residential areas. If wetlands are identified they are classified according to the Cowardin et al. and the Circular 39 classification systems and marked with pink"Wetland Delineation"pin flags. Please find within the Technical Documentation Section; field data sheets, plant indicator status information, soil survey information, and wetland definition information. METHODS The methods used to investigate possible wetland areas on the subject parcel are as described in the 1987 US Army Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual and the 2007 Midwest Region Supplement Manual. In the 1987 Manual, the methods used were described under the "routine" methods for sites less than 5 acres. This methodology is followed in order to assess whether the three parameters of a wetland are met for areas on the subj ect parceL The three parameters required under normal circumstances in order to delineate a wetland are described in the Technical Documentation Section. The Midwest Regional Supplement Wetland Delineation Manual is also being utilized to increase the accuracy of our wetland boundaries. This addendum to the original 87 Manual was created to address the many regional differences that affect wetlands and the delineation methods used throughout the country. The following explanations are passages from that document. "This Regional Supplement is part of a nationwide effort to address regional wetland characteristics and improve the accuracy and efficiency of wetland- delineation procedures. Regional differences in climate,geology,soils,hydrology plant and animal communities,and other factors are important to the identification and functioning of wetlands.These differences cannot be considered adequately in a single national manual. The development of this supplement follows National Academy of Sciences recommendations to increase the regional sensitivity of wetland-delineation methods(National Research Council 1995).The intent ofthis supplement is to bring the Corps Manual up to date with current knowledge and practice in the region and not to change wetland boundaries." "...This Regional Supplement is designed for use with the current version of the Corps Manual (Environmental Laboratory 1987)and all subsequent versions.Where differences in the two documents occur, this Regional Supplement takes precedence over the Corps Manual for applications in the Midwest Region." National Wetland Inventory(NWI)maps(Figure 2),Soil Survey ofHennepin County maps(Figure 3),Minnesota Protected Waters maps(Figure 4),and 2008 aerial photographs were reviewed prior to the site visit to identify areas that may be wetlands. Areas illustrating potential evidence of wetland conditions were examined in greater detail during the field survey. Vegetation, soils and hydrology were examined (as outlined in the 1987 Manual) and used to characterize wetland types and Svoboda Ecological Resources 515 Ferndale Project No.:2009-056-03 2 Denali Custom Homes