[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 119 (Friday, June 20, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33607-33620]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-15959]



[[Page 33607]]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation Service

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


The National Action Plan To Implement the Hydrogeomorphic 
Approach To Assessing Wetland Functions

AGENCIES: Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army, DOD; Natural 
Resources Conservation Service, Department of Agriculture; Federal 
Highway Administration, Department of Transportation; Environmental 
Protection Agency; and Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the 
Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Through the National Action Plan the Corps of Engineers is 
announcing the strategy the Corps and other Federal agencies will 
follow to implement the Hydrogeomorphic Approach for Assessing Wetland 
Functions (HGM Approach) through the development of regional 
guidebooks. The National Action Plan was developed by a National 
Interagency Implementation Team. Agencies listed herein. The HGM 
Approach was designed to satisfy the need for better information on 
wetland functions within the programmatic requirements of the Clean 
Water Act Section 404 regulatory program. This methodology will 
increase the accuracy of wetland function assessments, allow for 
replicability, and reduce the amount of time required to conduct a 
wetland function assessment.

ADDRESS: Information may be obtained by writing to: The Chief of 
Engineers, Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CECW-OR, Washington, DC 
20314-1000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Colleen Charles, Corps of 
Engineers, at (202)761-0199; Ms. Sandra Byrd-Hughes, Natural Resources 
Conservation Service, at (202)690-3501; Mr. Thomas Kelsch, 
Environmental Protection Agency, at (202)260-8795; Mr. Paul Garrett, 
Federal Highways Administration, at (202) 366-2067; Mr. Donald MacLean, 
Fish and Wildlife Service, at (703)358-2201; and Ms. Susan-Marie 
Stedman, National Marine Fisheries Service at (301)713-2325 or access 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Home Page at: http://
wetland.usace.mil/ or the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment 
Station Home Page at: http://www.wes.army.mil/el/wetlands/wetlands/
html/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The HGM Approach is a wetland assessment 
procedure that is based on three fundamental factors that influence how 
wetlands function: position in the landscape (geomorphic setting), 
water source (hydrology), and the flow and fluctuation of the water 
once in the wetland (hydrodynamics). The HGM Approach first classifies 
wetlands based on their differences in functioning, second it defines 
functions that each class of wetland performs, and third it uses 
reference to establish the range of functioning of the wetland. 
Regional assessment models are developed based on the functional 
profile that describes the physical, biological, and chemical 
characteristics of a regional wetland subclass. The goal of the 
National Action Plan is to implement, through the development of 
regional guidebooks, sufficient assessment models to address 80 percent 
of the section 404 permit workload requiring wetland function 
assessments. To achieve this goal, approximately 25-30 regional 
guidebooks will be required to be developed. Given the magnitude of the 
effort, and the need for interdisciplinary expertise, implementation of 
the HGM Approach will require participation from several Federal, 
State, Tribal and local agencies, academia, and the private sector. 
This involvement will occur at all stages of regional guidebook 
development.

Discussion of Public Comments and Changes

    On August 16, 1996 the draft National Action Plan to Develop the 
Hydrogeomorphic Approach for Assessing Wetland Functions (Action Plan) 
was published in the Federal Register to which we received 
approximately 20 comments. In response to these comments, we have made 
a few revisions to the Action Plan as discussed below. The comments of 
greatest concern addressed issues regarding public involvement, 
communication/public outreach, training, potential uses, applicability, 
and accuracy of models in predicting functions.
    Overall, commenters were very supportive of the development of the 
Hydrogeomorphic Approach for Assessing Wetland Functions (HGM 
Approach). However, some commenters were concerned that the National 
Action Plan is policy, not guidance, and that the HGM Approach will 
preclude and undermine the section 404(b)(1) review. These concerns 
come from lack of understanding of the HGM Approach. The HGM Approach 
is a tool for assessing wetland functions and does not replace the need 
for delineating a wetland boundary nor supersede the Section 404(b)(1) 
Guidelines analysis or public interest review. Based on these comments 
this has been explained more clearly in the Action Plan.
    The majority of comments indicated the need for more public 
involvement. A few commenters indicated concern with consultant 
involvement in developing regional guidebooks, suggesting that their 
involvement may influence how the models are developed. We have 
emphasized throughout the Action Plan that regional guidebook 
development is an iterative process that involves not only Federal, 
State, Tribal and local agencies but also academia, the private sector 
and the public. Regional guidebooks, developed by A-teams and having 
undergone peer reviews, will be published as operational drafts for a 
two year period. During this time the operational draft models will be 
subjected to further testing by the Federal agencies and the public 
with review comments solicited from the public. These review comments 
will be incorporated into the final models of the regional guidebooks. 
The final regional guidebooks will undergo review and revision every 
five years or less if needed. Again, this is explained in further 
detail in the Action Plan. We believe that the level of review prior to 
final publication is more than adequate to disway any possible 
influence by consultant involvement. Also the models in the regional 
guidebooks are based upon scientific data and this data will be 
available for review and in the guidebooks themselves.
    Several commenters were concerned with HGM policy. As indicated in 
the Action Plan, the Federal agencies will develop a policy statement 
and publish it in the Federal Register for comment. The National Action 
Plan or HGM Approach in itself is not policy. The Action Plan is a 
document that states the strategies the Federal agencies will follow in 
developing regional HGM Approach guidebooks. The HGM

[[Page 33608]]

Approach is a tool to be used in making regulatory decisions, at a 
Federal, state, or local level. It can also be used in the decision 
making process for applications such as mitigation banking and 
watershed planning. We believe that this has been fully addressed in 
the Action Plan.
    Other commenters stated that the HGM Approach does not assess 
wetland values. The HGM Approach is based on the best available science 
and thus does not assign value to a wetland. Value represents the 
significance of wetland functions to society or individuals, and often 
reflects local priorities or policy issues beyond the scope of the HGM 
Approach. The functional capacity indices resulting from the HGM 
Approach cannot be equated to the societal or economic value of that 
wetland function. However, this information can be used when assigning 
values to wetland functions in terms of economic or other value units 
as required by the Corps public interest review process.
    A few commenters indicated the need for more Federal funding to 
help model development. At present there are approximately 15 separate 
efforts ongoing (see Table 3 of the Action Plan) that were initiated 
through Federal funding and approximately 15 efforts initiated by 
various States, mainly through the U.S. EPA State/Tribal Wetland Grant 
Program. There is a need for more funding. The Corps and other Federal 
agencies will continue to look for additional funding opportunities. 
Our efforts will continue to focus on reaching the goal of developing 
regional guidebooks to address 80 percent of the Corps permit workload 
for wetlands requiring wetland function assessment.
    A few commenters thought the Federal government was moving too 
quickly in developing regional guidebooks and were concerned with the 
quality of those being developed. They would rather see an accurate, 
reliable guidebook rather than one that gave questionable results. We 
agree with this and have assessed the progress of regional guidebook 
development. As previously stated there are approximately 15 Federal 
national/regional guidebook development efforts. We have reassessed our 
goal of having approximately 20-25 regional guidebooks developed by the 
end of 1998. To ensure a reliable, accurate, scientifically based 
product we have decided that regional guidebook development to reach 
the 80 percent goal will take longer than two years. We have found 
through early guidebook development efforts that initial development 
takes longer than anticipated. We have learned a great deal in the 
pilot phases of guidebook development. The regional guidebook 
development process is now more efficient, taking less time than the 
initial efforts while still maintaining scientific reliability. 
Regional guidebook development is time and resource intensive, 
generally taking approximately 1-2 years to develop. However, the 
actual application of these regional guidebooks to a specific project 
is rapid and will take approximately 1 day or less to assess a wetland. 
The Action Plan explains in greater detail the regional guidebook 
development process. Our goal remains the same--to have approximately 
20-25 regional guidebooks developed which would address 80 percent of 
the Corps permit workload for wetlands requiring wetland function 
assessment. However, we acknowledge that it will take longer than our 
initial anticipated two year timeframe. As regional guidebooks become 
available, development of additional regional guidebooks will be 
expedited more efficiently.
    A few commenters addressed the need for training. Two HGM courses, 
as described in the Action Plan, are under development by WES. In 
response to one commenters concern regarding the Federal agencies as 
the sole provider of HGM training there is no intent on the part of the 
Federal agencies to be the sole training source for the HGM Approach. 
However, it is the intent of the Corps to hold public meetings as 
regional guidebooks become available within a geographic area, where 
the guidebook and it's application will be explained.
    Several commenters questioned whether the models can accurately 
predict functions. This is being addressed in the guidance being 
developed by Waterway Experiment Station (Guidelines for Developing 
Hydrogeomorphic Approach Regional Guidebooks) stating the protocol for 
regional guidebook development and is further explained in Section III 
A of the Action Plan.

Charles M. Hess, P.E.,

Chief, Operations, Construction and Readiness Division, Directorate 
of Civil Works.

Thomas Ptak,

Associate Administrator for Program Development, Federal Highway 
Administration.

Lawrence E. Clark,

Deputy Chief for Programs, Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Jamie Clark,

Assistant Director, Ecological Services, Fish and Wildlife Service.

Robert H. Wayland III,

Director, Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds, Environmental 
Protection Agency.

National Action Plan To Implement the Hydrogeomorphic Approach for 
Assessing Wetland Functions

I. Executive Summary
II. Overview of Hydrogeomorphic Approach
III. Implementation Strategies of the HGM Approach
    A. Goals and Objectives for Implementation
    B. Policy Statement
    C. Implementation of the HGM Approach
    D. Agency Roles and Coordination
    1. National Interagency Implementation Team
    2. Regional Assessment Teams
    3. WES as Technical Support Center
    4. Coordination with State, Tribal and local agencies, academia 
and the private sector
    5. Public Involvement
    E. Quality Control for Regional Guidebook Development
    F. Training and Outreach
    1. Training
    2. Outreach
IV. HGM Documents
    A. HGM Classification of Wetlands
    B. Procedural Document
    C. Guidelines for Developing Hydrogeomorphic Approach Regional 
Guidebooks
    D. National Guidebooks
    E. Regional Guidebooks
V. Application of HGM Approach
VI. Schedule
    A. Phase I--Pilot Projects--1995
    B. Phase II--Expanded Nationwide Effort
    C. Phase III
VII. Funding
    References
    Appendix--Definition of Terms

National Action Plan To Implement the Hydrogeomorphic Approach for 
Assessing Wetland Functions

I. Executive Summary

    This National Action Plan (Action Plan) identifies the strategy the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Agriculture--Natural 
Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Highway Administration, and 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration--National Marine 
Fisheries Service will follow to implement the Hydrogeomorphic Approach 
for Assessing Wetland Functions (HGM Approach) through the development 
of regional guidebooks. This is a plan to guide Federal agency 
activities and inform the public on how the federal agencies will be 
developing regional guidebooks for use with the HGM Approach. The HGM 
Approach is a procedure for measuring the capacity of a wetland to 
perform functions. It was designed to satisfy the need for better

[[Page 33609]]

information on wetland functions within the programmatic requirements 
of the Clean Water Act Section 404 regulatory program. Information 
obtained using the HGM Approach can assist project proponents and 
regulators in assessing the level of environmental impact of a proposed 
project, in determining the appropriate level of regulatory review, and 
in assessing compensatory mitigation required for offsetting 
environmental impacts. The hierarchical and modular nature of the 
approach makes it adaptable to a variety of other regulatory, planning, 
management, and educational situations where information on wetland 
functions is needed.
    The HGM Approach is characterized and differentiated from other 
wetland assessment procedures in that it first classifies wetlands 
based on their hydrogeomorphic characteristics (i.e., landscape 
setting, water source, hydrodynamics), second it uses reference to 
establish the range of functioning of the wetland, and third it uses a 
relative index of function, calibrated to reference wetlands, to assess 
wetland functions. This increases the resolution, allows for 
replicability, and reduces the amount of time needed to conduct the 
assessment. The HGM Approach utilizes reference wetlands as the means 
for establishing the scale, or index, against which other wetlands of 
the same type in a particular geographic area (reference domain) can be 
compared to determine their functional capacity. Reference wetlands are 
selected to reflect the range of conditions in a particular geographic 
area that a particular wetland type may exhibit, from relatively 
undisturbed to highly degraded.
    Under the HGM Approach, national guidebooks are being developed for 
each of the major classes of wetlands: riverine, depressional, slope, 
flats (mineral soil and organic soil), and fringe (estuarine and 
lacustrine). The national guidebooks provide a template for developing 
regional guidebooks for regional wetland subclasses. Regional 
guidebooks include a definition and characterization of the regional 
wetland subclass, models for assessing selected functions, and methods 
for applying the assessment models. Interdisciplinary teams of wetland 
specialists from Federal, State, Tribal, and local agencies, as well as 
the private sector and academia, will coordinate the development of 
regional guidebooks. To ensure the technical accuracy of the effort, 
regional guidebooks will be developed following specific protocols and 
subjected to a rigorous peer review process involving wetland experts 
from Federal, State, Tribal, and local agencies, academia, and the 
private sector. Regional guidebooks will be published initially as an 
operational draft for a two year period to provide agencies, academia, 
the private sector, and the general public an opportunity to review, 
apply, and comment on the procedure. Issues raised during this time 
will be addressed in the final publication. To ensure the best 
available science is incorporated, the final regional guidebooks will 
be subject to review and revision for a period not to exceed five 
years.
    Regional guidebooks are being developed in three phases: a pilot 
phase, an expanded nationwide effort to develop 15 to 20 additional 
regional guidebooks, and an effort to develop additional models based 
on priorities established by the Federal agencies. Efforts will be 
prioritized so that at the end of Phase II there are a sufficient 
number of regional guidebooks to address 80 percent of the permit 
workload for wetlands requiring a functional assessment. Given limited 
agency resources, such an undertaking will require the coordinated 
participation of Federal, State, Tribal, and local agencies, as well as 
individuals from academia, and the private sector. State agencies and 
others who choose to initiate development of regional guidebooks on 
their own will be encouraged to coordinate with the Federal agencies to 
ensure consistency, quality, and maximum applicability by Federal, 
State, Tribal, and local agencies in their wetland programs.
    Technical support and coordination for the development of the HGM 
Approach is being provided by the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways 
Experiment Station (WES). To facilitate development of the regional 
guidebooks, WES, in conjunction with other Federal and State agencies 
and other wetland experts, has developed, and will continue to develop, 
the necessary support documents, technical information and training 
materials. Experts from WES will oversee the development of regional 
guidebooks to ensure consistency and accuracy in these efforts.
    To support implementation of the HGM Approach, the Federal agencies 
will be preparing a policy statement to clarify the application of the 
HGM Approach within the Section 404 regulatory program and the Food 
Security Act Swampbuster program. The HGM Approach is a procedure for 
determining the level at which a proposed project will affect wetland 
functions. An assessment using the HGM Approach is not a substitute for 
the Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines or the public interest review; rather 
the HGM Approach is a tool to be used in the permit review process. It 
may be used to rapidly and consistently determine the level of 
environmental impact of a proposed project, to compare project 
alternatives, to identify measures that would minimize environmental 
impacts, to determine mitigation requirements, and to establish 
standards for measuring mitigation success. The policy statement will 
indicate the manner in which such applications can provide greater 
certainty and consistency within the decision making process.

II. Overview of the Hydrogeomorphic Approach

    The Hydrogeomorphic Approach for Assessing Wetland Functions (HGM 
Approach), developed by scientists at the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways 
Experiment Station (WES), is a procedure for measuring the capacity of 
a wetland to perform functions. The procedure was designed to satisfy 
the need for better information on wetland functions within the 
programmatic requirements of the Clean Water Act Section 404 (Section 
404) regulatory program. The HGM Approach is a tool that can be used in 
the alternatives analysis and in assessment of compensatory mitigation 
within the Section 404 permit review process. The hierarchical and 
modular nature of the approach make it adaptable to a variety of other 
regulatory, planning, management, and educational situations requiring 
the assessment of wetland functions.
    The HGM Approach is characterized and differentiated from other 
wetland assessment procedures in that it first classifies wetlands 
based on their ecological characteristics (i.e., landscape setting, 
water source, hydrodynamics), second it uses reference to establish the 
range of functioning of the wetland, and third it uses a relative index 
of function, calibrated to reference wetlands, to assess wetland 
functions. HGM uses a hierarchical classification with seven major 
hydrogeomorphic wetland classes. These classes are : riverine, 
depressional, slope, flats (organic soil and mineral soil), and fringe 
(estuarine and lacustrine). The hydrogeomorphic classification is based 
on three fundamental factors that influence how wetlands function: 
position of the wetland in the landscape (geomorphic setting), water 
source (hydrology), and the flow and fluctuation of the water once in 
the wetland (hydrodynamics). Within a specific geographic area wetland 
classes can be further divided

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into regional wetland subclasses (e.g., vernal pools in California, 
prairie potholes in the northern plains states, and pine flatwoods in 
the southeastern U.S.). Classifying wetlands based on how they function 
narrows the focus of attention to a specific type or subclass of 
wetland, the functions that wetlands within the subclass are most 
likely to perform, and the landscape and ecosystem factors that are 
most likely to influence how wetlands in the subclass function. (Table 
1.) This increases the accuracy of the assessment, allows for 
replicability, and reduces the time needed to conduct the assessment.
    The HGM Approach includes a development phase and an application 
phase. The development phase is carried out by an interdisciplinary 
Assessment Team of wetland experts (A-team) and begins with the 
classification of wetlands into regional subclasses. The A-team then 
develops a functional profile that describes the physical, chemical, 
and biological characteristics (wetland functions) of the regional 
wetland subclass, identifies which functions are most likely to be 
performed, and discusses different ecosystem and landscape attributes 
and processes that influence each function. The functional profile is 
based on the experience and expertise of the A-team and information 
collected from reference wetlands. Reference wetlands are selected from 
a reference domain (a defined geographic area) and represent sites that 
exhibit a range of variation within a particular wetland type including 
sites that have been degraded/disturbed as well as those sites which 
have had little disturbance.

           Table 1.--Hydrogeomorphic Classes of Wetlands Showing Associated Dominant Water Sources, Hydrodynamics, and Examples of Subclasses           
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                 Examples of subclass                   
    Hydrogeomorphic class          Dominant water source          Dominant hydrodynamics    ------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                      Eastern USA                    Western USA        
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Riverine.....................  Overbank flow from channel...  Unidirectional, horizontal...  Bottomland hardwood forests..  Riparian forested.          
Depressional.................  Return flow from groundwater   Vertical.....................  Prairie potholes marshes.....  California vernal pools.    
                                and interflow.                                                                                                          
Slope........................  Return flow from groundwater.  Unidirectional, horizontal...  Fens.........................  Montane seeps Avalanche     
                                                                                                                             chutes.                    
Flats (mineral soil).........  Precipitation................  Vertical.....................  Wet pine flatwoods...........  Playas.                     
Flats (organic soil).........  Precipitation................  Vertical.....................  Peat bogs, portions of         Peat bogs                   
                                                                                              Everglades.                                               
Fringe (Estuarine)...........  Overbank flow from estuary...  Bidirectional, horizontal....  Chesapeake Bay marshes.......  San Francisco Bay marshes.  
Fringe (Lacustrine)..........  Overbank flow from lake......  Bidirectional, horizontal....  Great Lakes marshes..........  Flathead Lake marshes.      
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Smith et al., An approach for assessing wetland functions using hydrogeomorphic classification, reference wetlands, and functional indices. U.S.
  Army Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiment Station, Technical Report TR WRP-DE-9. Vicksburg, MS. Oct. 1995.                                         

    The A-team next develops assessment models and calibrates them 
based on data collected from the reference wetlands. These models 
define the relationship between attributes and processes of the wetland 
ecosystem and surrounding landscape and the capacity of a wetland to 
perform a function. The assessment model results in a functional 
capacity index (FCI) (0-1.0), which estimates the capacity of a wetland 
to perform a function relative to other wetlands from the same regional 
subclass in the reference domain. The standard of comparison used to 
scale functional indices are reference standards, or the conditions 
under which the highest, sustainable level of function is achieved 
across the suite of functions performed by reference standard wetlands 
in a regional wetland subclass.
    During the application phase of the HGM Approach, the assessment 
models in the regional guidebook are used to assess wetland functions. 
The context of the application may be the Section 404 permit review 
process, or in some other regulatory, planning, or management 
situation. The HGM Approach does not replace the need for delineating a 
wetland boundary, preclude the sequencing process, nor supercede the 
Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines analysis or public interest review. The 
HGM Approach is a tool that can be used in the alternatives analysis 
and is expected to be used on those permit actions which warrant a 
functional assessment for determining wetland impacts. Regulators will 
be able to use this procedure to rapidly and accurately determine the 
level of environmental impacts of proposed projects, compare project 
alternatives, identify measures that would minimize environmental 
impacts, determine mitigation requirements, and establish criteria for 
measuring mitigation success. As such, the procedure will be helpful in 
providing greater certainty and reduced permit review times thus 
allowing for expedited decision making.
    The HGM Approach does not assign a value to wetland functions. 
Value represents the significance of wetland functions to society or 
individuals, and often reflects local priorities or policy issues 
beyond the scope of the HGM Approach. The functional capacity indices 
resulting from the HGM Approach cannot be equated to the societal or 
economic value of that wetland function. This information may be used 
when assigning values to wetland functions in terms of economic or 
other value units as required by the public interest review process.

III. Implementation Strategies of the HGM Approach

A. Goals and Objectives for Implementation

    The primary goal for implementation of the HGM Approach is to 
provide a standardized tool for consistently assessing wetland 
functions in a diversity of wetland types throughout the United States. 
This tool will use the best available technical and scientific 
information and maintain compatibility with the time and resource 
framework of the Section 404 regulatory program. The objective is to 
develop a sufficient number of regional guidebooks to address 80 
percent of the permit workload impacting priority wetlands

[[Page 33611]]

requiring a functional assessment, as identified by a Corps survey. 
This includes those individual and general permits requiring either an 
alternatives analysis and/or compensatory mitigation.
    To achieve this goal, the Corps and other Federal agencies have 
formed a National Interagency Implementation Team (Implementation 
Team). The purpose of the Implementation Team is to prepare and oversee 
an implementation plan which identifies the priorities of HGM regional 
guidebook development and outlines the steps to develop a regional 
guidebook from model development to the application. This 
implementation plan prepared by the Implementation Team is the 
``National Action Plan to Implement the HGM Approach for Assessing 
Wetland Functions' (Action Plan). The Action Plan identifies the 
strategy the Federal agencies will follow in implementing this new 
assessment methodology to meet the identified objective.
    All regional guidebooks will:
    (1) Be developed in a consistent and coordinated manner, following 
protocol identified in the ``Guidelines for Developing Hydrogeomorphic 
Approach Regional Guidebooks''. Technical oversight by scientists at 
WES will facilitate state and Federal interagency agreement on 
applications of the HGM approach, and will require the involvement of 
experts from academia and the private sector, as well as Federal, 
State, Tribal and local agencies at all stages and levels of review;
    (2) Utilize the best scientific information in the development of 
each model;
    (3) Develop regional guidebooks based on national and regional 
priorities for the Section 404 Regulatory program;
    (4) Make the most efficient use of limited agency resources; and
    (5) Ensure public involvement at all stages and levels of 
development.

B. Policy Statement

    Concurrent with implementation of the HGM Approach, the Corps and 
the other Federal agencies will develop a policy statement clarifying 
how the HGM Approach can be used within the Section 404 and Swampbuster 
programs to improve regulatory decision making. The policy statement 
will address various issues, including how information on wetland 
functions generated by the HGM Approach will be used by regulators to 
make timely and consistent decisions that are reflective of the 
relative functional capacity of different wetlands. In addition, the 
policy statement will identify supplemental procedures to be folowed in 
applying the HGM Approach which ensure that other important, such as 
red flagging and the relative value of wetland functions, are to be 
considered in the decision making process.
    In order to ensure that application of the HGM Approach meets its 
objectives of being timely, accurate and cost-effective, the agencies 
will conduct extensive field testing of regional guidebooks during the 
two-year operational draft period prior to development of the policy 
statement. The field testing will be conducted in cooperation with the 
States and other interested parties, as appropriate. The policy 
statement will be published in the Federal Register for public review 
and comment.

C. Implementation of the HGM Approach

    Implementation of the HGM Approach is a multi-step procedure and 
will require the participation by several Federal, State, Tribal and 
local agencies, as well as experts from academia and the private 
sector. This participation will occur at all stages of the regional 
guidebook development process starting with identification and 
prioritization of regional wetland subclasses and initial model 
development through model calibration, verification, and validation of 
the revised model.
    The first step of this multi-step procedure is to identify the 
national priorities for regional guidebook development of wetland 
subclasses through surveys of Corps district offices on what wetland 
types in their districts were under the greatest development pressure. 
The next step is to establish regional A-teams from participating 
agency specialists, academics and the private sector, that are trained 
in the HGM Approach and classification. The A-teams will identify and 
prioritize regional wetland subclasses, define the reference domain, 
and identify reference wetlands.
    Once the regional subclasses and reference domain have been 
identified, conceptual assessment models for wetland functions will be 
drafted based on a review of both the literature and existing models. 
Model development will include selection of functions for each wetland 
subclass, selection and definition of variables for each function, and 
construction of assessment models. The draft models will then go 
through a peer-review technical workshop to provide individuals with 
expertise on hydrology, soils, vegetation and wildlife an opportunity 
to critique the draft assessment models. The workshop participants will 
include wetland experts from Federal, State, Tribal, and local 
agencies, and individuals from academia and the private sector who will 
be an integral part of model development. At the workshop, the model 
will be critiqued and revised as needed to reflect recommendations from 
the workshop participants. After model review and revision, the draft 
model will be calibrated with data collected from reference wetland 
sites and field tested for accuracy and sensitivity of functional 
indices by the A-team. Models will be published as draft operational 
regional wetland subclass guidebooks (operational drafts) for a two 
year period. The operational draft will include a description and range 
of the regional wetland subclass, a functional profile, the assessment 
models, and application instructions with field data sheets. During 
this time, the operational draft models will be subjected to further 
extensive field testing by the Federal agencies, and review comments 
will be solicited from the public. Review comments will be incorporated 
into a final model. The final model will undergo review and revision as 
needed on a periodic basis (not to exceed a five-year period) to ensure 
that new technical data and research are incorporated into the model.

D. Agency Roles and Coordination

    Given the magnitude of the effort, and the need for 
interdisciplinary expertise, implementation of the HGM Approach will 
require participation from several Federal, State, Tribal and local 
agencies, academia, private consultants and other wetlands experts. 
This will be coordinated in the following manner.
1. National Interagency Implementation Team
    The Action Plan, outlining the steps the federal agencies will 
follow in implementing the HGM Approach, will be administered by a 
National Interagency Implementation Team (Implementation Team) chaired 
by a representative from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Other 
agencies represented on the Implementation Team will be the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (FWS), USDA--Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the 
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and NOAA-National Marine 
Fisheries Service (NMFS). Technical assistance will be provided to the 
Implementation Team by representatives of WES and others involved in 
the development of the HGM Approach.
    The Implementation Team is responsible for ensuring that the Action

[[Page 33612]]

Plan is implemented in a consistent and timely fashion, and that the 
concerns and priorities of each agency are considered. They will meet 
as needed to assess progress, ensure timely development of products, 
and address problems and potential inconsistencies.
2. Regional Assessment Teams
    Regional assessment teams (A-teams) will include scientists with 
expertise in wetland hydrology, biochemistry, soils, plants, and 
wildlife. Representation on the A-Team will be from each agency 
whenever possible. The USACE representative will serve as the A-team 
leader. The primary responsibilities of the A-team are as follows:
     Identify regional wetland subclasses and define reference 
domains.
     Identify reference wetland sites.
     Identify and define functions for each subclass.
     Identify and define variables and construct assessment 
models.
     Conduct interagency and interdisciplinary workshop to 
critique models.
     Collect data from reference wetland sites and establish 
reference standards.
     Calibrate assessment models using reference wetland data.
     Verify and validate the assessment models.
    A-teams will meet as needed during implementation of the HGM 
Approach. A-teams will solicit technical input from other wetland 
experts from the academic and private sectors as necessary to 
accomplish their objectives. It is anticipated that development of each 
regional guidebook will require approximately one year to complete.
3. WES as Technical Support Center
    WES will serve as the primary technical support center for 
coordinating the development of regional guidebooks. WES will publish 
guidance for developing regional guidebooks (``Guidelines for 
Developing Hydrogeomorphic Approach Regional Guidebooks''), and 
facilitate publication of the regional guidebooks and other documents 
related to the HGM Approach. WES will also serve as the center for 
training and outreach activities related to the HGM Approach.
4. Coordination With State, Tribal and Local Agencies, Academia and the 
Private Sector
    It is the intent of the Federal agencies to involve representatives 
from appropriate State, Tribal and local agencies, as well as local 
experts from academia and the private sector in the development of 
regional guidebooks. Input will be solicited regarding the technical 
accuracy of the assessment models, as well as its applicability to 
Federal, State, Tribal and local wetlands programs. The A-team will be 
responsible for identifying individuals outside of the Federal 
government with expertise on the hydrology, biogeochemical processes, 
soils, and habitat functions of the regional wetland subclass to 
participate in assessment model development and the peer review.
    It is anticipated that many State regulatory and/or resource 
agencies will be interested in taking the lead in developing regional 
guidebooks using the HGM Approach for their own regulatory programs and 
other purposes. It is also anticipated that the private sector may take 
the lead in regional guidebook development for use in Federal programs. 
Regional guidebooks developed by State agencies and the private sector 
may be accepted for use within Federal programs if the standard 
guidance for developing regional guidebooks, ``Guidelines for 
Developing Hydrogeomorphic Approach Regional Guidebooks'', is followed. 
For this reason, States and others are encouraged to coordinate with 
WES at the initiation of the project to ensure consistency with Federal 
efforts. The Federal agencies will work to establish collaborative 
efforts with States in the development of regional guidebooks to ensure 
maximum efficiency of both efforts and the broadest possible 
application.
    Many States have on-going research supporting the development of 
monitoring programs to characterize and assess the condition of their 
wetland resources. The HGM Approach provides a useful framework for 
targeting States' data collection and research efforts. Many States 
have increased their efforts to classify, monitor, and/or document the 
ecological condition of their wetlands in recent years. Much of the 
data from these activities can support the development of regional 
guidebooks for the HGM Approach. Federal and State agencies undertaking 
the development of regional guidebooks are encouraged to coordinate 
with these State research and monitoring programs to facilitate an 
exchange of technical information.
5. Public Involvement
    It is the intent of the Federal agencies that the public be aware 
of the overall development of the HGM Approach and have ample 
opportunity to review and provide comments on all draft documents. To 
this end, information will be provided on the Internet at the WES 
homepage (www.wes.army.mil/el/wetlands/wetlands.hmtl/). The agencies 
will also provide additional forums (e.g., public workshops) to 
facilitate public awareness of the implementation of the HGM Approach, 
development of regional guidebooks, and other related publications.

E. Quality Control for Regional Guidebook Development

    The Implementation Team will maintain oversight to ensure that 
regional guidebook development focuses on priority wetland types and 
meets agency needs. The agencies recognize that the steps needed to 
develop each regional guidebook will vary based on the unique 
circumstances of each effort. However, certain minimum requirements 
must be met to ensure consistency, technical accuracy, and interagency 
support for use of the regional guidebooks within the Federal 
regulatory framework and other programs. Draft guidance from WES for 
developing regional guidebooks, ``Guidelines for Developing 
Hydrogeomorphic Approach Regional Guidebooks'', is outlined in Table 2.

Table 2.--Guidelines for Developing Hydrogeomorphic Approach Regional 
Guidebooks

Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview
Chapter 2. Identifying and Characterizing Regional Subclasses
    --Identify and define functional profile of regional subclass
Chapter 3. Constructing Conceptual Assessment Model
Chapter 4. Reference Wetlands
    --Define reference
    --Identify reference wetlands
    --Explain purpose of reference wetlands
    --Importance to HGM
Chapter 5. Collection and Management of Data
    --Sampling methods and data collection
    --Standardized approach to managing data
Chapter 6. Data Analysis and Model Calibration
    --How data is used
    --How is data used to calibrate models
Chapter 7. Verification and Validation of HGM Assessment Models
    --Model logic
    --Testing model application in the field
    --Relationship between FCI and an independent measure of function
Chapter 8. Applications of HGM

    These chapters contain information necessary for the 
characterization of regional subclasses, data collection and management 
from reference wetland

[[Page 33613]]

sites, model construction, data analysis, and model calibration, 
verification, and validation. Figure 1 depicts the HGM regional 
guidebook development process that follows the information contained 
within the ``Guidelines for Developing Hydrogeomorphic Regional 
Guidebooks''.

BILLING CODE 3710-92-P
      

[[Page 33614]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN20JN97.001



BILLING CODE 3710-92-C

[[Page 33615]]

    At a minimum, regional guidebooks must contain the following 
information to be complete:
     Purpose and format of the regional guidebook
     An introduction to the HGM Approach
     A functional profile of the regional wetland subclass
     Guidance for selecting reference wetland sample locations
     Guidance for selecting and sampling of reference standard 
wetlands
     Documentation of the functions of the regional wetland 
subclass
     Guidance on the application of the regional guidebook 
models in the field including the materials needed to take to the 
field.
     Any appendices addressing reference data sites and the 
field sheets used to collect the data, any raw/summarized information 
needed to support the model or calibration of the model, and any other 
information that may be specific to the regional guidebook.
    Regional guidebooks developed by A-teams other than those formed by 
the Federal agencies are required to follow the guidance developed by 
WES for developing regional guidebooks if these regional guidebooks are 
to be used within Federal programs. Entities undertaking separate 
efforts to develop HGM functional assessment models are encouraged to 
inform the Corps promptly of their intent and provide timely 
opportunities for agency participation and review. Any regional 
guidebook developed by an entity other than the Federal agencies must 
be reviewed and approved by the Federal agencies prior to application 
under Federal programs to ensure consistency with quality assurance 
steps outlined in this document, including agency and private sector 
peer review.

F. Training and Outreach

1. Training
    Training in the HGM Approach will be necessary to ensure consistent 
development and application of regional assessment models. Different 
training courses, ranging from an introductory course to familiarize 
program administrators and field personnel with the HGM Approach to 
technical training in regional subclass model development and the 
application of the HGM Approach are proposed as follows:
    A. ``Introductory Course to the HGM Approach to Wetland 
Assessment''--This course will be designed for executive and management 
personnel who need to understand the basics of the HGM Approach. The 
course will be approximately three days in length and provide 
background on the HGM Approach, including the conceptual basis of HGM 
regional guidebook development and application.
    B. ``HGM Application Course''--A second course will be offered to 
those individuals directly responsible for assessing wetland functions 
in the field using a regional guidebook. The course objective will be 
to ensure students are as proficient as possible in applying regional 
subclass models and in evaluating their results. The course will focus 
on the application of models under different scenarios such as project 
impact assessment, alternative analysis, and mitigation design/
monitoring. It will require a full five days to complete with 
considerable emphasis on field work. This course will be offered 
through the Corps regulatory training curriculum. (Under development.)
    C. ``HGM Regional Guidebook Development''--This course will be 
designed for personnel responsible for drafting and testing new 
regional guidebook models. Students will be provided information on the 
sequence of steps necessary to develop models and the lessons learned 
from prior development efforts. The course will be approximately three 
days long and include field exercises on identifying and collecting 
data from reference wetlands. (Under development.)
    D. ``Train the Trainers''--A fourth course will be offered to train 
those individuals who will be responsible for local training. The 
course objective will be to enable students who are proficient in the 
HGM Approach and regional guidebook development to train others in the 
HGM Approach, regional guidebook development, and application. This 
course will be two days in length with a prerequisite of having 
extensive experience in the HGM Approach.
2. Outreach
    In addition to this Action Plan and the training courses the 
Federal agencies are proposing, additional outreach efforts are planned 
to ensure that State, Tribal, local agencies and the general public are 
informed on the HGM Approach, including the direction the Federal 
agencies will follow in developing and implementing the HGM Approach. 
The following efforts will be made over the next few years to meet that 
objective.
    All technical publications included under the HGM Approach (e.g., 
national and regional guidebooks, and supporting technical documents) 
will be published by WES under an interagency logo. Once published, 
these documents may be obtained by interested parties through an 
appropriate Federal publications office, including the National 
Technical Information Service (NTIS). In addition, WES has developed a 
homepage on the Internet dedicated to the HGM Approach to make 
pertinent documents available electronically. The homepage will include 
a quarterly publication to update interested readers on the status of 
efforts to develop and implement the HGM Approach. Among the 
information included in this publication will be a current listing of 
completed national and regional guidebooks (including both operational 
and final drafts), as well as information concerning the status of 
other models under development. The homepage can be accessed by the 
following address: http://www.wes.army.mil/el/wetlands/wetlands.html.
    WES will also serve as the Federal lead for keeping the scientific 
community informed about the HGM Approach through the presentation of 
information at appropriate professional meetings and through technical 
publications. Similarly, the Federal agencies will make information 
available to professional trade organizations and journals to ensure 
that the regulated community and others are informed on the development 
of the HGM Approach. EPA's Wetlands Information Hotline (1-800-832-
7828) will also serve as a distribution center for HGM materials. In 
addition to the Federal agency training programs described above, it is 
anticipated that private wetland training institutes will begin to 
provide additional training opportunities for both the public and 
private sectors. In addition to these formal training programs, the 
agencies anticipate sponsoring short seminars on the HGM Approach to 
respond to local interests or needs.

IV. HGM Documents

    The following documents have been or are expected to be published 
by WES as part of the development strategy. Published documents are 
available through the NTIS at (703) 487-4650.
    A. ``HGM Classification of Wetlands'' (Brinson 1993)--This document 
lays out an approach for classifying wetlands into similar functional 
types (classes and subclasses) based on their hydrogeomorphic 
characteristics. Wetlands are initially classified based on three major 
characteristics: (1) geomorphic setting, (2) water source, and (3) 
hydrodynamics. The seven major wetland classes are depression, slope, 
flats, fringe, and riverine. The classification is not intended to 
supersede or replace other wetland

[[Page 33616]]

classification methods designed for purposes other than functional 
assessment.
    B. ``Procedural Document'' (Smith et al 1995)--This document 
establishes the guiding rules for model development and application of 
the HGM Approach. Included is standard guidance for wetland bounding, 
characterization and assessment using a regional assessment model, as 
well as guidance for development of A-teams and assessment models.
    C. ``Guidelines for Developing Hydrogeomorphic Approach Regional 
Guidebooks'' (Clairain ed. In Prep)--This document, currently under 
development, establishes guidelines for developing regional guidebooks 
and addresses the information necessary for the characterization of 
regional wetland subclasses, data collection and management from 
reference wetland sites, model construction, data analysis, and model 
calibration, verification, and validation. These guidelines must be 
followed if the regional guidebook is to be used within the Section 404 
regulatory program and other Federal programs.
    D. ``National Guidebooks''--These documents will provide the basis 
for applying the HGM Approach for wetland functional assessment to one 
of the seven major classes of wetlands:
     Riverine Wetlands (Brinson et al 1995)
     Depressional Wetlands (In Prep)
     Estuarine Fringe Wetlands (In Prep)
     Lacustrine Fringe Wetlands
     Slope Wetlands (In Prep)
     Mineral Soil Flats
     Organic Soil Flats
    Each national guidebook will serve as a template from which 
regional guidebooks can be developed. Each document will identify and 
describe the wetland class, description of selected functions, 
variables, and rationale, including supporting literature. The document 
will lack field calibration and specifics on reference standards. 
National guidebooks will be published initially as operational drafts 
for a two-year period, to allow the public to provide comments on the 
information contained within. Revisions will be made in response to 
field review and public comment and a final guidebook will be 
published.
    E. ``Regional Guidebooks''--Regional Guidebooks represent a 
regionalization for wetland subclasses, of the National Guidebooks, 
through modification, calibration, and testing to determine 
effectiveness under local and regional conditions. Regional guidebooks 
will contain an introduction to the HGM Approach, a functional profile 
of the regional wetland subclass, guidance for selecting reference 
wetland sample locations, guidance for selecting and sampling of 
reference standards, purpose and format of the regional guidebook, 
documentation of the functions of the regional wetland subclass, 
guidance on the application of the regional guidebook models in the 
field including the materials needed to take to the field. This 
document will also contain appendices addressing reference data sites 
and the field sheets used to collect the data, any raw/summarized 
information needed to support the model or calibration of the model, 
and any other information that may be specific to the regional 
guidebook.
    The regional guidebook, having been reviewed by an interagency 
panel and an interdisciplinary team of experts familiar with the region 
and wetland subclass, will be published by WES as an Operational Draft 
of the regional guidebook for that wetland subclass, for a two-year 
period. The preface in each operational draft will contain a statement 
and address for soliciting review comments. Each operational draft will 
be made available for public use for a two year period, during which 
time comments and recommendations for revisions will be accepted. The 
operational draft will be revised to reflect recommended changes in the 
models and the revised models will then be published as a Final 
Regional Guidebook.
    Each final regional guidebook will remain in use for a period not 
to exceed five years before any revisions are made. During this five 
year period, it will be reviewed by an interdisciplinary team and an 
interagency panel to assess changes in the state of wetland science, 
including the applicability of new data and research on the particular 
wetland subclass. It will then be determined if the regional models 
need revising. If revisions are required, the final regional guidebooks 
will be revised and republished.

V. Application of HGM Approach

    One of the primary benefits of the HGM Approach is that it provides 
a method to rapidly and consistently assess the level of environmental 
impact of a proposed project. This information is particularly valuable 
within the review of Section 404 permit applications where the HGM 
Approach can assess the ability of a wetland to perform a specific 
function before and after the proposed discharge of dredged or fill 
material. As such, the evaluation can be useful in identifying the 
least damaging project alternative as required by the Section 404 
program. Moreover, the method provides regulators with a more 
predictable tool to gauge the level of environmental impact and, 
therefore, to more consistently determine the appropriate regulatory 
response, i.e., ensure that the level of review is commensurate with 
the degree of environmental impact and based upon the best available 
scientific information.
    NRCS, in its administration of the Food Security Act of 1985, as 
amended, is tasked with determining impacts to wetland functions due to 
conversions or proposed conversions on agricultural lands. Such 
determinations must be made in order to implement the ``minimal 
effects'' and mitigation exemptions which are provided in the Food 
Security Act. Under the minimal effects exemption, NRCS will identify 
thresholds to determine whether a conversion activity is minimal. The 
information provided from an HGM assessment can be compared to the 
thresholds and provide the basis for making a minimal effect 
determination. HGM assessment information will also provide the needed 
data to determine mitigation requirements when granting a mitigation 
exemption.
    The HGM Approach also provides important information to determine 
the nature and level of compensatory mitigation that is needed to 
effectively offset impacts to wetlands. Identifying the degree to which 
a project may adversely affect the hydrologic, biogeochemical, and 
habitat functions of a particular wetland enables regulators to more 
accurately determine the amount and type of compensatory mitigation 
required to offset the adverse impacts. In addition, the indicators and 
variables used to establish the assessment model may provide 
performance standards with which mitigation projects can be monitored 
to determine compliance.
    In addition, the HGM Approach may also be applied to mitigation 
banking (the creation, restoration, or enhancement of wetlands 
expressly for the purpose of providing compensatory mitigation for 
multiple projects.) The HGM approach can be used to determine the 
appropriate number of credits available at a mitigation bank and also 
to establish performance standards to measure the success of the 
project in meeting stated goals.
    The HGM Approach can be applied to determine the relative 
functional capacity index of wetlands in a particular geographic area 
within a watershed planning or wetland restoration effort, which 
typically involves the collection and distribution of data on the 
functions of wetlands in

[[Page 33617]]

the area. The information gathered can be used to make management 
decisions on the location of future development within the watershed 
and the protection of its aquatic resources. Where existing regional 
subclass models are not available, a watershed planning effort may 
provide the basis from which a regional assessment model can be 
developed. In such cases, the model can be tailored to meet the 
specific application of the planning effort.
    The HGM Approach may also be used in the context of a State's 
wetland water quality standards program. The HGM Approach provides a 
useful framework for targeting States' data collection and research 
efforts. Many States have increased their efforts to monitor and 
document the ecological condition of their wetlands. This information 
is then used to define more appropriate and specific wetland water 
quality standards, to report on the health of States' aquatic systems, 
and to set performance standards for wetland restoration and mitigation 
projects. The indicators and variables identified in a regional 
guidebook can serve as the basis for establishing narrative or numeric 
criteria used to assess whether an established standard has been met.
    The above list of potential applications of the HGM Approach will 
be more fully addressed in the ``Guidelines for Developing 
Hydrogeomorphic Approach Regional Guidebooks'.

VI. Schedule

    The HGM Approach is being implemented in three phases. Phase I, 
initiated in 1995, focused on developing functional assessment models 
and regional guidebooks for priority regional wetland subclasses 
including: (a) South-Central Florida flats and depressions and flats of 
the Everglades; (b) Western Kentucky and Tennessee riverine (low 
gradient, low order); (c) Vernal pools in California; (d) Prairie 
potholes of the northern plains states; (e) Southeast Pine Flatwoods, 
and (f) Coastal Fringe of the Texas Gulf Coast. Phase II, initiated in 
1996, consists of an expanded nationwide effort to develop functional 
assessment models and regional guidebooks in approximately 15-20 
additional regional wetland subclasses in order to achieve the goal of 
having a sufficient number of assessment models to address 80 percent 
of the priority Section 404 permit workload requiring functional 
assessments. (See Table 3) Under Phase III, functional assessment 
models and regional guidebooks will be developed for all remaining 
regional wetland subclasses identified.

A. Phase I--Pilot Projects--1995

    Phase I of the Action Plan was initiated in 1995 and is focused on 
developing regional guidebooks for regional wetland subclasses of 
national priority as identified by a survey sent to Corps Districts. 
National priorities were determined and pilot Corps Districts selected 
by surveying field offices and identifying those types of wetlands 
which are experiencing the most development pressure, are threatened 
due to scarcity, and/or are complex and difficult to assess. A-teams 
were established to identify reference wetlands and develop functional 
indices for these priority regional wetland subclasses. The number of 
A-teams formed was dependent upon the availability of personnel, time, 
and financial resources, consistent with established national 
priorities. A training workshop was held for A-team members to ensure 
consistency in the efforts to develop regional subclass models. The A-
teams initiated technical meetings to accomplish tasks such as: the 
identification of functions relevant to the particular wetland 
subclass, the review of existing assessment models, the selection of 
reference wetlands, the identification of variables, and the 
development and testing of functional indices. The objective of Phase I 
was to develop functional indices for priority regional wetland 
subclasses, and establish protocol for identifying reference wetlands 
and developing assessment models for additional regional subclasses 
during Phase II and Phase III in a consistent, systematic, and accurate 
manner.

                                                 Table 3.--Status of Development of Regional Guidebooks                                                 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Component              Contributing  agency(ies) *              Product                Projected completion             Current status       
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
National Documents:                                                                                                                                     
    National Action Plan.......  COE/WES......................  Technical Report............  Apr. 97.....................  Draft Complete.             
    Procedural Document........  COE/WES......................  Technical Report............  Apr. 96.....................  Published.                  
    Guidelines for Developing    COE/WES......................  Technical Report............  Dec. 97.....................  Initiated Jan. 97.          
     Hydro-geomorphic Approach                                                                                                                          
     Regional Guidebooks.                                                                                                                               
    Classification Report......  COE/WES......................  Technical Report............  Jun. 93.....................  Published.                  
National Guidebooks:                                                                                                                                    
    Riverine Wetlands..........  COE/WES......................  Operational Draft...........  May 96......................  Completed.                  
    Depressional Wetlands......  COE/WES/FWS..................  Operational Draft...........  Dec. 97.....................  Initiated Oct. 96.          
    Slope Wetlands.............  COE/WES......................  Operational Draft...........  Dec. 97.....................  Workshop held Oct. 96.      
    Fringe: Estuarine..........  COE/WES......................  Operational Draft...........  Oct. 97.....................  Workshop held Sep. 96, Draft
                                                                                                                             complete.                  
    Fringe: Lacustrine.........  COE/WES......................  Operational Draft...........  ............................  Pending Funding.            
    Flats......................  COE/WES......................  Operational Draft...........  ............................  Pending Funding.            
Regional Slope Guidebooks:                                                                                                                              
    Forested Slope Wetlands of   COE/WES......................  Operational Draft...........  May 98......................  Workshop Jul. 96.           
     New England--                                                                                                                                      
     Massachusetts, New                                                                                                                                 
     Hampshire, Vermont.                                                                                                                                
Regional Riverine Guidebooks:                                                                                                                           
    Low gradient 2nd or 3rd      COE/WES/TN DEC...............  Operational Draft...........  Jul. 97.....................  Workshop May 96, Draft      
     order streams in Western                                                                                                Complete.                  
     Kentucky and Tennessee.                                                                                                                            
    Low gradient 2nd or 3rd      COE/WES/EPA/States/Private/    Operational Draft...........  Dec. 97.....................  Workshop held in Apr. 96.   
     order streams in the         FHWA.                                                                                                                 
     Northern Rockies--Montana.                                                                                                                         

[[Page 33618]]

                                                                                                                                                        
Regional Depressional                                                                                                                                   
 Guidebooks:                                                                                                                                            
    Prairie Potholes--North      NRCS/COE/WES.................  Operational Draft...........  Dec. 97.....................  Workshop Jun. 95, Draft     
     Dakota.                                                                                                                 completed.                 
    Depressions in South and     COE/WES......................  Operational Draft...........  Oct. 97.....................  Workshop held Feb. 96.      
     Central Florida.                                                                                                                                   
    Vernal Pools of the Central  COE/WES......................  Operational Draft...........  Sep. 98.....................  Workshop held May 96.       
     Valley of California.                                                                                                                              
    Herbaceous Depressions of    COE/WES/EPA/States/Private/    Operational Draft...........  Oct. 97.....................  Workshop held Apr. 96.      
     the Northern Rockies--       FHWA.                                                                                                                 
     Montana.                                                                                                                                           
Regional Fringe: Coastal                                                                                                                                
 Guidebooks:                                                                                                                                            
    Coastal Wetlands of the      COE/WES/EPA..................  Operational Draft...........  Oct. 98.....................  Initiated Jan. 97, Workshop 
     Texas Coast.                                                                                                            scheduled for Nov. 97.     
Regional Fringe: Lacustrine                                                                                                                             
 Guidebooks:                                                                                                                                            
    Tulsa......................  COE/WES/EPA..................  Operational Draft...........  Oct. 98.....................  Initiated Jan. 97.          
Regional Flats Guidebooks:                                                                                                                              
    Herbaceous Flats in South    COE/WES......................  Operational Draft...........  Oct. 97.....................  Workshop held Feb. 96.      
     and Central Florida.                                                                                                                               
    Flats in the East            COE/WES......................  Operational Draft...........  Oct. 97.....................  Workshop held Apr. 96.      
     Everglades of Florida.                                                                                                                             
    Pine Flatwoods of the        FHWA/EPA.....................  Operational Draft...........  Dec. 97.....................  Initiated May 96.           
     Southeastern US.                                                                                                                                   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: *=Agency abbreviations are listed below.                                                                                                          
COE--U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Headquarters and Districts.                                                                                           
WES--U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station.                                                                                                   
EPA--U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters and/or regional offices.                                                                         
NRCS--U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service.                                                                                                  
FHWA--Federal Highway Administration.                                                                                                                   
FWS--U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.                                                                                                                    
TN DEC--Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation,                                                                                             

    Five regional guidebooks are currently under development 
representing depressional wetlands (prairie potholes in the northern 
plains states and vernal pools in the Central Valley of California), 
riverine wetlands (low gradient streams in western Kentucky/Tennessee), 
flats (flats in the East Everglades of Florida), and flat/depressional 
mosaics in Florida. Table 3 identifies the current status of these 
regional guidebooks and their anticipated completion dates.

B. Phase II--Expanded Nationwide Effort

    Phase II, initiated during 1996, consists of an expanded nationwide 
effort to develop regional guidelines in approximately 15-20 additional 
regional wetland subclasses. Regional guidebooks developed in Phase II 
will use the same protocol as described for Phase I. As identified in 
Table 3, efforts currently underway as part of Phase II include the 
development of assessment models for riparian systems, herbaceous 
depressional and slope wetlands in the northern Rocky Mountains, 
forested slope wetlands in New England, and coastal fringe wetlands of 
the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to the efforts being led by the Federal 
agencies, there are also efforts in regional guidebook development 
being led by various states under EPA's State Grant Program. These 
efforts to date are listed in Table 4. However, it should be recognized 
that expanded efforts in this Phase will not address all regional 
wetland subclasses. The number of efforts initiated is dependent upon 
the availability of personnel, time, and financial resources.

      Table 4.--Status of Other HGM Efforts, Funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (including EPA State/Tribal Wetland Grant Program)      
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Component               Contributing  agency(ies)               Product                Projected completion             Current status       
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regional Riverine Guidebooks:                                                                                                                           
    Low gradient riverine        EPA/COE-WES..................  Operational Draft...........  Sep. 98.....................  Initiated Apr 97.           
     wetlands in the lower                                                                                                                              
     Mississippi River Valley.                                                                                                                          
    Riverine Wetlands of the     EPA..........................  Operational Draft...........  Oct. 98.....................  Draft complete, undergoing  
     Santa Margarita Watershed                                                                                               peer review prior to       
     in Southern California.                                                                                                 workshop review.           
    Riverine/slope wetlands of   Alaska DEC/SGP...............  Operational Draft...........  Oct. 97.....................  Draft undergoing peer       
     southeast Alaska.                                                                                                       review.                    
    Riverine wetlands in 1st--   EPA..........................  Operational Draft...........  Mar. 99.....................  Initiated May 94.           
     2nd order headwater                                                                                                                                
     reaches in Pennsylvania                                                                                                                            
     and Maryland.                                                                                                                                      
    Riverine wetlands along      EPA..........................  Operational Draft...........  Mar. 99.....................  Initiated May 94.           
     broad floodplains                                                                                                                                  
     associated with streams                                                                                                                            
     greater than 2nd order in                                                                                                                          
     Pennsylvania and Maryland.                                                                                                                         

[[Page 33619]]

                                                                                                                                                        
    Flow through and impounded   Washington Dept of Ecology/    Operational Draft...........  Jan. 98.....................  Workshop held May 97.       
     riverine wetlands in         SGP.                                                                                                                  
     Washington.                                                                                                                                        
    Low gradient riverine        Utah Governor's Office of      Operational Draft...........  Mar. 98.....................  Data collection.            
     wetlands of the Great        Planning/SGP.                                                                                                         
     Colorado Plateau and Rocky                                                                                                                         
     Mt. region.                                                                                                                                        
    Riverine wetlands of Kenai   AK DEC/FWS/ Kenai Peninsula    Operational Draft...........  Sep. 98.....................  Fieldwork Jul 97.           
     watershed Alaska.            Borough/SGP.                                                                                                          
Regional Slope Guidebooks:                                                                                                                              
    Slope wetlands in            EPA..........................  Operational Draft...........  Dec. 98.....................  Initiated May 94.           
     Pennsylvania.                                                                                                                                      
Regional Depression Guidebooks:                                                                                                                         
    Flowthrough and closed       Washington Dept of Ecology/    Operational Draft...........  Jan. 98.....................  Workshop held May 97.       
     depression wetlands in       SGP.                                                                                                                  
     Washington.                                                                                                                                        
    Depression wetlands in       EPA..........................  Operational Draft...........  Dec. 98.....................  Initiated May 94.           
     Pennsylvania.                                                                                                                                      
    Depression wetlands in Guam  EPA..........................  Operational Draft...........  Dec. 99.....................  Initiate in Aug 97.         
Regional Flats Guidebooks:                                                                                                                              
    Flats wetlands on            AK DEC/NRCS/DOA/SGP..........  Operational Draft...........  Jul. 97.....................  Workshop held Apr 97.       
     discontinuous permafrost                                                                                                                           
     in interior Alaska.                                                                                                                                
Regional Fringe Guidebooks:                                                                                                                             
    Tidal freshwater marshes of  NY DEC/COE/Hudson River        Operational Draft...........  Dec. 98.....................  Pre-draft guidebook         
     the Hudson River, New York.  Improvement Fund/SGP.                                                                      completed.                 
Other:                                                                                                                                                  
    Characterization and         Colorado Geological Survey/    Grant Report................  Jun. 98.....................  Initiated Aug 96.           
     functional assessment of     SGP.                                                                                                                  
     reference wetlands of the                                                                                                                          
     southern and central Rocky                                                                                                                         
     Mountains.                                                                                                                                         
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: * =Agency abbreviations are listed below:                                                                                                         
COE-WES--U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.                                                                                                                  
EPA--U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.                                                                                                              
SGP--EPA's State/Tribal Wetland Grant Program.                                                                                                          
NRCS--U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service.                                                                                                  
AK DEC--Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.                                                                                                
NY DEC--New York Department of Environmental Conservation.                                                                                              
DOA--Department of the Army.                                                                                                                            

    In addition to the development of regional guidebooks, the Corps 
and the other Federal agencies, will work together during Phase II, to 
develop necessary guidance on how the HGM Approach may be applied in 
the review of Section 404 permit applications. The intent of the 
guidance is to clarify how information from an assessment can be used 
to determine the level of environmental impacts a proposed project may 
cause and the appropriate regulatory response.

C. Phase III

    Based on the needs of the Federal agencies and work conducted to 
date by others, the agencies will establish a priority listing of 
additional models to be developed.

VII. Funding

    Primary funding for the Federal effort to develop the HGM Approach 
has been and will continue to be provided through the Corps, with 
additional support being provided by other federal agencies, including 
EPA, NRCS, FWS, NMFS, and FHWA. As development of the approach 
continues, limited Federal funds will be available for the development 
of each regional guidebook to support tasks such as the collection of 
data, training, and technical workshops. The cost for developing 
regional guidebooks is expected to vary depending on the scope of the 
effort and the level and nature of participation by Federal, State, 
Tribal and local agencies and the private sector. For State, Tribal and 
certain local efforts, EPA's State Wetlands Grant Program has made 
funding available for those agencies wishing to pursue an HGM Approach 
within their wetlands program. Interested State, Tribal and local 
agencies should contact the local EPA office for further information.

References
Brinson, M.M. 1993. A Hydrogeomorphic Classification for Wetlands. 
Wetland Research Program Technical Report WRP-DE-4. U.S. Army Engineer 
Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS.
Brinson, M.M., F.R. Hauer, L.C. Lee, W.L. Nutter, R.D. Smith, D. 
Whigham, 1995. Guidebook for Application of Hydrogeomorphic Assessments 
to Riverine Wetlands (Operational Draft). Wetland Research Program 
Technical Report WRP-DE-11. U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment 
Station, Vicksburg, MS.
Davis, M.M., E.J. Clairain, Jr, W. Ainslie, M. Gilbert, M.A. Schwinn, 
M. Sheehan, G. Sparks, K. Trott, and M. Whited. May 1996 (Draft). 
Development of Regional Wetland Subclass HGM Functional Assessment 
Model Guidebooks.
Smith, R.D. 1993. A Conceptual Framework for Assessing the Functions of 
Wetlands. Wetland Research Program Technical Report WRP-DE-3. U.S. Army 
Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS.
Smith, R.D., A. Ammann, C. Bartoldus, and M.M. Brinson. 1995. An 
Approach for Assessing Wetland Functions Using Hydrogeomorphic 
Classification, Reference Wetlands, and Functional Indices. Wetland 
Research Program Technical Report WRP-DE-9. U.S. Army Engineer 
Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS.

[[Page 33620]]

Clairain, E.J., Jr. (ed). In prep. Guidelines for Developing 
Hydrogeomorphic Approach Regional Guidebooks. Wetland Research Program 
Technical Report WRP-DE-__. U.S. Army Waterways Experiment Station, 
Vicksburg, MS.

Appendix A

Definition of Terms
    Assessment Model: A simple model that defines the relationship 
between ecosystem and landscape scale attributes and processes and 
functional capacity of a wetland. The model is developed and calibrated 
using reference wetlands from a reference domain.
    Assessment Objective: The reason why an assessment of wetland 
functions is being conducted. Assessment objectives normally fall into 
one of three categories. These include: documenting existing 
conditions, comparing different wetlands at the same point in time 
(e.g., alternatives analysis, and comparing the same wetland at 
different points in time (e.g., impact analysis or mitigation success).
    Assessment Team (A-Team): An interdisciplinary group of regional 
and local scientists responsible for identifying regional wetland 
subclasses, identification of reference wetlands, construction of 
assessment models, definition of reference standards, and calibration 
of assessment models.
    Functional Assessment: The process by which the capacity of a 
wetland to perform a function is measured or estimated. The 
Hydrogeomorphic Approach measures capacity using an assessment model to 
determine a functional capacity index.
    Functional Capacity: The rate or magnitude at which a wetland 
ecosystem performs a function. Functional capacity is dictated by 
characteristics of the wetland ecosystem and the surrounding landscape, 
and interaction between the two.
    Functional Capacity Index (FCI): An index of the capacity of a 
wetland to perform a function relative to other wetlands within a 
regional wetland subclass in a reference domain. Functional capacity 
indices are by definition scaled from 0.0 to 1.0. An index of 1.0 
indicates the wetland performs a function at the highest sustainable 
functional capacity, the level equivalent to a wetland under reference 
standard conditions in a reference domain. An index of 0.0 indicates 
the wetland does not perform the function at a measurable level, and 
will not recover the capacity to perform the function through natural 
processes.
    Highest Sustainable Functional Capacity: The level of functional 
capacity achieved across the suite of functions by a wetland under 
reference standard conditions in a reference domain. This approach 
assumes that the highest sustainable functional capacity is achieved 
when a wetland ecosystem and the surrounding landscape are undisturbed.
    Hydrogeomorphic Wetland Class: The highest level in the 
hydrogeomorphic wetland classification. There are seven basic 
hydrogeomorphic wetland classes including depressional, fringe--
lacustrine and coastal, slope, riverine, and flat--mineral and organic.
    Project Target: The level of functioning identified for a 
restoration or creation project. Conditions specified for the 
functioning are used to judge whether a project reaches the target and 
is developing toward site capacity.
    Project Standards: Performance criteria and/or specifications used 
to guide the restoration or creation activities toward the project 
target. Project standards should include and specify reasonable 
contingency measures if the project target is not being achieved.
    Red Flag Features: Features of a wetland or the surrounding 
landscape to which special recognition or protection is assigned on the 
basis of objective criteria. The recognition or protection may occur at 
a federal, state, regional, or local level, and may be official or 
unofficial.
    Reference: Standard for measuring, reckoning, or constructing.
    Reference Domain: The geographic area from which reference wetlands 
are selected. A reference domain may or may not include the entire 
geographic area in which a regional wetland subclass occurs.
    Reference Standard Wetlands: The sites within a reference wetland 
data set from which reference standards are developed. Among all 
reference wetlands, reference standard sites are judged by an 
interdisciplinary team to have the highest level of functioning.
    Reference Standards: Conditions exhibited by a group of reference 
wetlands that correspond to the highest level of functioning (highest, 
sustainable level of functioning) across the suite of functions 
performed by the regional wetland subclass. The highest level of 
functional capacity is assigned an index score of 1.0 by definition.
    Reference Wetlands: Wetland sites that encompass the variability of 
a regional wetland subclass in a reference domain. Reference wetlands 
are used to establish the range of conditions for construction and 
calibration of functional indices and establish reference standards.
    Regional Wetland Subclass: Wetlands within a region that are 
similar based on hydrogeomorphic classification factors. There may be 
more than one regional wetland subclass identified within each 
hydrogeomorphic wetland class depending on the diversity of wetlands in 
a region, and assessment objectives.
    Site Potential: The highest level of functioning possible, given 
local constraints of disturbance history, land use, or other factors. 
Site capacity may be equal to or less than levels of functioning 
established by reference standards for the reference domain, and it may 
be equal to or less than the functional capacity of a wetland 
ecosystem.
    Wetland Functions: The normal activities or actions that occur in 
wetland ecosystems, or simply, the things that wetlands do. Wetland 
functions result directly from the characteristics of a wetland 
ecosystem and the surrounding landscape, and their interaction.

[FR Doc. 97-15959 Filed 6-19-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-92-P