FLOOD08883

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Federal Register EPA Guidelines for Specification of Disposal Sites for Dredged or Fill Material
• Date: 12/24/1980
• Prepared By: EPA
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

85352 Federal Register / VoL 45. No. 249 / Wednesday. December 24. 1980 1 Rules and Regulations

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sensitive to the discharge of material
during periods of reproduction and
growth and development due primarlly
to their limited mobility. They can be
rendered unfit for human consumption
by tainting, by production and
accumulation of toxins, or by ingestion
and retention of pathogenic organisms.
viruses, heavy metals or persistent
synthetic organic chemicals. The
discharge of dredged or fill material can
redirect, delay. or stop the reproductive
and feeding movements of some species
of nsh and crustacea, thus preventing
.heir aggregation in accustomed places
such as spawning or nursery grounds
and potentially leading to reduced
populations. Reduction of detrital
feeding species or other representa lives
of lower trophic levels can impair the
flow of energy from primary consumers
to higher trophic levels. The reduction or
potential elimination of food chain
organism populations decreases the
overall productivity and nutrient export
caplJ.bility of the ecosystem.

~ 230.32 Other wildlife.

fa} Wildlife associated with aquatic
ecosystems are resident and transient
mammals. birds, reptiles; and
amphibians.
(b) Possibie loss of values: The
discharge of dredged or fill material can
result in the loss or change of breeding
ami nesting areas, escape cover, travel
corridors. and preferred food sources for
resident and transient wildlife species
associated with the aquatic ecosystem.
These adverse impacts upon wildlife
habitat may result from changes in
water levels. water flow and circulation.
salinity. cheomJcal coolent, and substrate
characteristics and elevation. Increased
water turbidity can adversely affect
wildJil'e :,yecies which rely upon sight to
feed. and disrupt the respiration and
feeding I')f certam aquatic wildlife and
fcod cham organisms. The availabilitv
of contammants from the discharge of
dredged or fill material may lead to the
bioaccumulation of such contaminants
in wildlife. Chan.<;es in such physical
and chemIcal factors of the environment
milV favor the introduction of
undesirable pldnt and animal species at
the cxpeme of resident species and
communitlCs. In some aquatic
f'n\'lronment2- iowering plant and animal
~pecies div€'fsity ~ay disrupt the normal
fun8tion5 of th2 ecosystem and lead to
reducthms in overall' biological
productivily.

Note.-Puss:ble actions to minimize
,ld...."'~se Im;J;;r.ts re~ilrding cbaraCleri;,tIC$ of
biowg;Cili components of the aquatic
ccos~'stem La.n be found Ln Subpart H.

Subpart E-Potentiallmpacta on
Special Aquatic Siles

Note.-The impacts described in this
subpart should be considered in making the
factual determinations and the findings of
compliance or non-compliance in Subpart B.
The definition of special aquatic sites is
found in ~ 230.3{q-l).

~ 230.40 Sanctuaries and refuges.
(aJ Sanctuaries and refuges consist of
areas designated under State and
Federal laws or local ordinances to be
managed principally for the preservation
and use of fish and wildlife resources.
(b J Possible loss of values:
Sanctuaries and refuges may be affected
by discharges of dredged or fill material
which will:
(1) Disrupt the breeding. spawning,
migratory mo.....ements or other critical
life requirements of resident or transient
fish and wildlife resources;
(2) Create unplanned. easy and
incompatible human access to remote
aquatic areas;
(3J Create the need for frequent
maintenance activity;
(4) Result in the establishment of
undesirable competitive species of
plants and animals;
{5J Change the balance of water and
land areas needed to provide cover,
food, and other fish and wildlife habitat
requirements in a way that modifies
sanctuary or refuge management
practices;
(6) Result in any of the other adverse
impacts discussed in Subparts C and D
as they relate to a particular sanctuary
or refuge.

~ 230.41 Wetlands.
(a)(l) Wetlands consist of areas that
are inundated or saturated by surface or
ground water 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.
(2) \Vhere wetlands are adjacent to
open water, they generally constitute the
transition to upland. The margin
between wetland and open water can
best be establish~d by specialists
famiiiar With the local environment,
particularly where emergent vegetation
merges with submerged vegetation over
ri broad area in such places as the
lateral margins of open water,
headwaters. rainwater catch basins. and
groundwater seeps. The landward
margin of wetlands also can best be
identified by specialists familiar with
the local environment when '..egetation
from the two regions merges over a
broad rlrea.

13J Wetland vegetation consists of
plE.nts that require saturated soils to
survive (obligate wetland plants) as well
8S plants. including certain trees, that
gain a competitive advantage over
ortLers because they can tolerate
prolonged wet soil conditions and their
competitors cannot. In addition to plant
populations and communities, wetlands
arE' delimited by hydrological and
physical characteristics of the
environment. These characteristics
should be considered when informa tion
about them is needed to supplement
information available ahout vegetation.
or 'Where wetland vegetation has been
removed or is dormant.
(b) Possible loss of values: The
discharge of dredged'or fill material in
wetlands is likely to damage or destroy
habitat and adversely affect the
biological productivity of wetlands
. eCCisystems by smothering, by
dewa tering, by permanently flooding, or
by altering substrate elevation or
periodicity of water movement. The
addition of dredged or fill )Ilaterial may
de~ troy wetland vegetation or result in
advance'llent of succession to dry land
species. It may reduce or eliminate
nutrient exchange by a reduction of the
system's productivity, or by altering
current patterns and velocities.
Disruption or elimination of the wetland
system can degrade water quality by
obstructing circulation patterns that
flus,h large expanses of wetland
systems. by interfering with the
fi/U.ation function of wetlands. or by
changing: the aquifer recharge capability
of E, wetland. Discharges can also
change the wetland habitat value for
fish and wildlife as discussed in Subpart
D. ~Nhen disruptions in flow and
circulation patterns occur, apparently
miI1 or loss of wetland acreage may
result in major losses through secondary
impacts. Discharging fill material in
wellands as part of municipal. industrial
or recreational development may modify
the capacity of wetlands to retain and
slore floodwaters and to serve as a
buCer zone shieldir:g upland areas from
wave actions. storm damage and
erO~lion.

~ 230.42 Mud flats
(El) Mud flats are broad flat areas
along the sea coast and in coastal rIvers
to tile head of tidal influence and in
inland lakes. ponds. and riverine
sY&lems. When mud flats are inundated.
wind and wave action may resuspend
batlom sediments. Coastal mud flats are
exposed at extremely low tides and
inundated at high tides with the water
table at or near the surface of the
sllo:itrate. The substrate of mud flats
con tains organic material and particles