2020-12-08_REVISION - M2008078 (23)

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ERC West Farm Pit Expansion Project Site Aquatic Resource Delineation Report Table 2. Wetland Connectivity Assessment Connectivity to the Waters of the U.S. Aquatic Connectivity Path and Endpoint^ Feature Type Resource Name Direction* • Aquatic Resource A can be diverted to flow north Arkansas directly into the Arkansas River(TNW) River,or can be diverted Riverine Intermittent Streambed Seasonally Flooded A to flow east where it joins or uplands within Excavated(R4SBCx) Aquatic Resource C and terminates within an survey area irrigation retention pond • Aquatic Resource B is an Palustrine Emergent Persistent Temporary Flooded B isolated wetland and Survey area terminates in uplands (PEM1A) • Aquatic Resource C flows C east and terminates Survey area Riverine Intermittent Streambed Seasonally Flooded within an irrigation Excavated(R4SBCx) retention pond D • Aquatic Resource D Survey area Palustrine Emergent Nonpersistent Seasonally Flooded terminates in uplands (PEM2C) • Aquatic Resource E flows Arkansas east and outside the E survey area where it River(TNW) Riverine Lower Perennial Unconsolidated Bottom outside Intermittently Exposed Excavated(R2UBGx) drains into the Arkansas River. survey area Notes: *Path based on aerial imagery(Google 2020) ^Arkansas River is a known TNW,connectivity was not followed beyond the confluence with the Arkansas River 4.4 UPLAND HABITAT The wetland delineation identified approximately 920.3 acres of upland habitat within the survey area consisting predominantly of cultivated cropland with fringes of ruderal grasses, forbs, and bare ground. Topography across the survey area is generally flat with a topographic high point of 3,612 feet at the western extent of the Survey Area. Uplands within the survey area are predominantly characterized as the Great Plains Ruderal Grassland and Shrubland (NatureServe 2020) converted to a Cultivated Cropland vegetation community. The vegetation community characterized within the survey area is somewhat based on natural vegetation associations in the region; however, native vegetation has been disturbed by historic and current land use practices. Therefore, existing upland vegetation within the survey area represents somewhat degraded forms of these natural vegetation associations.The upland habitats across the survey area are dominated by FACU-UPL species with dry, light colored loamy soils. Hydric soils, a dominance of hydrophytic vegetation, and/or wetland hydrology were not present in the upland habitats within the survey area. 13