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<br />Results of the Survey <br />Map 1 shows the topography of the site and the locations of the Waters of the United <br />States sites identified in the investigation. This map is simply a topographic location map and <br />does not provide any labels that key to the following descriptions of the sites. <br />As can be seen, many of the sites are discontinuous and some are quite small. Some <br />of these are associated with small seeps and minor springs in the drainages. Others are <br />associated with locations where the drainage course becomes more gradual and moisture is <br />retained in the area somewhat longer than is the usual case. This helps to increase he <br />amount of growth in that local area. <br />Conditions between the various Waters of the Urtited States sites exhibit varying <br />degrees of vegetation composition and density. In some areas the drainageway vegetation is <br />only barely distinguishable from the side slope vegetation. These are considered tn.ly <br />ecotonal between differing side slope vegetation units. Although the vegetation may be <br />slightly more dense because of the higher availability of water along the drainage, the <br />composition differs little. Channel definition is usually weak and often follows multiple <br />courses. Often various amounts of vegetation can be found growing in the channel itself. <br />In a few locations the vegetation is very different from the side slope veget~ction but <br />clearly not characteristic of streamsides. Places where scree from the slopes above has <br />accumulated, the drainageway is composed mainly of boulders. Where this occurs here is <br />little room for any vegetation and what does grow there is primarily composed of drought <br />resistant, upland species. <br />Most often the drainageway between the Waters of the United States sites c~~ntains <br />slightly more vegetation than the side slopes, but is only slightly distinguishable from the <br />side slope vegetation, and is composed of species that can also be found far up on the slopes <br />in more moist sites than is normal for a slope. <br />The typical drainageway course (actually "stream bed") is narrow and usually <br />indistinct. Because 1995 was an unusually wet year with heavy snowmelt and abnormally <br />high rainfall and runoff, there was considerable channel development prior to this :study. This <br />could have led one to the conclusion that a flow channel was present all along the drainages <br />and therefore all the drainages were Waters of the United States . <br />Examination of most areas though showed intact soils on the crest of each side of the <br />channel, freshly exposed roots of grasses and other fortis extending into the channels, as well <br />as roots of trees and shrubs. This would indicate that under more normal precipitation <br />conditions, the flow channel would be more like the locations where recent erosion had not <br />occurred, that is, indistinct and partially or totally vegetated. This led to the concl~.sion that <br />under normal historical conditions Waters of the United States exist in only isolated <br />locations. <br />Map 2 shows the Menzer Quarry amendment boundaries, the location of the; <br />drainages, and the Waters of the United States sites identified. In short, this map i:; identical <br />to Map 1 but does not show the topography. This presentation was considered necessary <br />because the topography map, even when considerably enlarged, is very cluttered with <br />contour lines leaving little room for notes and labels. Each Waters of [he United Slates site is <br />Waters of the US Study Menzer Quarry Page 3 <br />