Wetland Delineation Report

South and East Beltway

Lincoln, Nebraska

Prepared for

Federal Highway Administration

Nebraska Department of Roads

Lancaster County

City of Lincoln

October 2000

(revised 2/01)

WETLAND DELINEATION REPORT

for

South and East Beltways Study

Lincoln, Nebraska

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

1.0 BACKGROUND D.3

2.0 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK D.3

3.0 PROJECT LOCATION D.4

4.0 REVIEW OF EXISTING RESOURCES D.4

5.0 FIELD SURVEY D.6

6.0 FINDINGS OF THE WETLAND DELINEATION D.6

7.0 IMPACTS OF THE FOUR FINALIST ALTERNATIVES D.10

8.0 PROPOSED MITIGATION D.11

Appendix D-A Photolog D.19

Appendix D-B Routine Wetland Determination Data Forms D.25

Table D.1 Hydric Soils in the Beltway Study Area D.5

Table D.2 Wetland Types in the Beltway Study Area D.6

Table D.3 Typical Wetland Types and Common Plant Species in the

Beltway Study Area D.7

Table D.4 Summary of Estimated Wetland Impacts along the Four

Finalist Alternatives D.10

Table D.5 Wetland Locations and Impacts along the Four Finalist Alternatives D.12

11Feb01

WETLAND DELINEATION REPORT

for

South and East Beltways Study

Lincoln, Nebraska

1.0 BACKGROUND

The Lincoln South and East Beltways Study is being conducted to evaluate potential transportation improvements for the south and east fringes of the City of Lincoln, Nebraska. The study, initiated in 1995, is being undertaken by the City of Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska Department of Roads and the Federal Highway Administration. Proposed improvements may include the construction of a beltway along the south and/or east fringes of Lincoln.

2.0 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

Construction of the beltway will require a permit for activities that impact wetlands or other waters of the United States (waters) as regulated by the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Section 404 Permit program. Under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, any project that requires the placement of dredged or fill material into wetlands or waters must obtain a permit from the Corps prior to initiation of construction. As part of this permit, the project would be reviewed by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality for Section 401 Water Quality certification.

The construction of the Beltway will require Individual Section 404 permits due to the length and extensive nature of the project. These permits will cover each segment of the project as it is constructed, including impacts to waters at bridge and culvert locations (even if wetlands are not present).

Due to these requirements, all potential wetlands and waters within the 90 m (300 ft) rights-of-way along the total 83.7 km (52 mi) of the four finalist alternatives, the inside areas of the interchanges, and approximately 0.4 km (0.25 mi) surrounding the interchanges were included in this delineation.

The purpose of the wetland delineation was to determine the nature and extent of any wetlands or waters. The delineation included (A) field surveys of the alternatives (B) photographing existing conditions, (C) marking wetland locations on aerial photography, and (D) documentation of existing conditions. Data collected documents the presence/absence of hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils, and wetland hydrology for use in establishing Corps jurisdictional requirements. Based on the ground truthing and aerial photo interpretation, wetland boundaries were delineated on Farm Service Agency (FSA) aerial photographs and transferred to City 1997 digital aerial photography.

3.0 PROJECT LOCATION

The four finalist beltway alternatives are located along the south and east edges of the City of Lincoln (see Figure 2.25 of DEIS). SM-4 begins at US 77, 0.8 km (0.5 mi) south of Saltillo Road and extends 12.9 km (8 mi) west to the approximate intersection of Nebraska Highway 2 (N-2) and 120th Street. EC-1 begins near the approximate intersection of the SM-4 and 105th Street, and extends north generally along the half section line to Havelock Road, where it turns northeast and intersects Interstate 80 (I-80) approximately 0.8 km (0.5 mi) east of the US Highway 6 (US 6) interchange. EM-1 begins near the approximate intersection of N-2 and 127th Street, and extends generally along the half section line north to I-80 approximately

0.8 km (0.5 mi) east of the US 6 interchange. EF-1 begins near the approximate intersection of N-2 and 141st Street and extends north generally along the half section line to Fletcher Road, where it turns to the northwest for 3.2 km (2 mi) and intersects I-80 0.8 km (0.5 mi) east of the US 6 interchange.

4.0 REVIEW OF EXISTING RESOURCES

Several published resources were reviewed as part of the wetland evaluation, including:

• U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Topographic 7.5-Minute Maps, Bennett, Roca, Walton and Waverly Quadrangles
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, formerly Soil Conservation Service) Soil Survey for Lancaster County (1980)
• NRCS Hydric Soils List for Lancaster County, Nebraska (1998)
• US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) National Wetland Inventory (NWI) Maps, Bennett, Roca, Walton and Waverly Quadrangles
• Farm Services Agency (FSA) land classification maps for Lancaster County (1980 photography)
• Interagency Resource Categorization of Nebraska's Eastern Saline Wetlands Map, Roca and Waverly Quadrangles (Gilbert and Stutheit, 1994)
• City of Lincoln 1997 Digital Aerial Photographs of Lancaster County

Topography. The four alternatives cross gently rolling hills and flood plains with elevations ranging from a low of 344.4 m (1130 ft) mean sea level (msl.) near the north end of the east alternatives to a high of 442.0 m (1450 ft) msl near the intersection of SM-4 and EM-1. One of the primary drainage features is Salt Creek which crosses SM-4 east of 25th Street. Another is Stevens Creek which parallels the three east alternatives. It crosses EC-1 south of Adams Street, and EM-1 south of O Street and north of Yankee Hill Road. Other less prominent drainage features include tributaries to Little Nemaha River.

Soils. The Lancaster County list of hydric soils and the Lancaster County Soil Survey list several soils that are considered hydric or that contain hydric inclusions. Table D.1 provides a list of the hydric soils occurring along the four alternatives.

HYDRIC SOILS IN THE BELTWAY STUDY AREA

It should be noted that not every portion of these soil units are considered hydric. It should also be noted that soils not classified as hydric or as not containing hydric inclusions, may contain hydric inclusions. The wetlands identified during the field survey were generally located on areas mapped as having hydric soils.

Wetlands. Based on the NWI and the field surveys, there are numerous wetlands, streams and ponds along the four finalist alternatives. Wetlands generally occur along Salt Creek and its tributaries, Stevens Creek and its tributaries, and tributaries to the Little Nemaha River, as well as in isolated depressions (natural and excavated) throughout the study area. Some of these tributaries are devoid of wetland vegetation, and only meet the criteria to be classified as waters. Some of the impounded tributaries are deep enough and do not support rooted vegetation and are therefore classified as ponds, or deepwater habitats. Based on field observations, wetlands along the alternatives were classified into several types based on vegetation type, water regime and location in the landscape (Table D.2).

Table D.2

WETLAND TYPES IN THE BELTWAY STUDY AREA

5.0 FIELD SURVEY

OES staff conducted wetland field surveys during July and August 1999. Data collected was used to document the presence of wetland hydrology, hydric soils, and hydrophytic vegetation according to guidelines established by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and described in the 1987 Wetland Delineation Manual. Wetlands were classified according to Cowardin, et al. (1979).

Each site was assigned a number according to its position along the four alternatives. EM-5, for example, indicates the a site along the east mid alignment. S-19 would indicate a site along the south alignment. The wetland and stream crossing locations are shown in the Exhibits to the DEIS. Photographs of the wetlands were taken to document observed conditions at all wetland locations. Photographs of selected locations are included in the Photolog (Appendix D-A) to illustrate the wetland types in the study area. Routine Wetland Determination Data Forms were completed for each of the sites investigated (Appendix D-B).

Of the approximately 116 sites investigated, six sites were assessed solely using aerial photographs and maps (S-1, S-4A, S-5, S-5A, EF-3A and EF-21). These properties were not surveyed on foot for one or more of the following reasons: permission was denied, the landowners could not be contacted, or the site was difficult to access. Where possible, public roads were used to validate map observations. If the final alternative affects any of these sites, they will be reinvestigated during final design.

6.0 FINDINGS OF THE WETLAND DELINEATION

Several types of wetlands occur along the four finalist alternatives. Table D.3 provides a list of each wetland type and the common plant species associated with them.

Table D.3

TYPICAL WETLAND TYPES AND COMMON PLANT SPECIES

IN THE BELTWAY STUDY AREA

Riverine Wetlands. Riverine wetlands occur within the main channel and larger tributary channels of Salt Creek and Stevens Creek. They are confined within the high banks of the channels and are typically devoid of vegetation from scouring flows. In general, riverine wetlands are not jurisdictional wetlands under the Corps 404 regulatory program. However, these areas are jurisdictional waters and are regulated as rivers and streams.

Salt Creek is classified as R2UBG (riverine lower perennial unconsolidated bottom intermittently exposed wetlands). Stevens Creek is classified in various locations as R4SBF (riverine intermittent streambed semi-permanently flooded wetlands), R4SBC (riverine intermittent streambed seasonally flooded wetlands), and R4SBA (riverine intermittent streambed temporarily flooded wetlands). Some tributaries observed during the field survey are classified as R4SBA and R4SBJ (riverine intermittent streambed intermittently flooded wetlands).

Forested Drainage Wetlands. Forested drainage wetlands occur along many drainages along the four alternatives. These wetlands occur above the high banks of the larger channels and across the drainage of the smaller channels. These areas are classified as PFOA (palustrine forested temporarily flooded wetlands) and PFOAx (palustrine forested temporarily flooded excavated wetlands). Dominant species within these wetlands include cottonwood, peachleaf willow, sand bar willow, elderberry, reed canarygrass and prairie cordgrass.

Scrub-Shrub Drainage Wetlands. Scrub-shrub drainage wetlands occur along the smaller drainages and along the edge of forested drainage wetlands. Included in this category are those wetlands classified as PSSA (palustrine scrub-shrub temporarily flooded wetlands). These wetlands tend to be dominated by willow, cottonwood and green ash saplings and elderberry.

Some of these wetlands have been created through excavation or have been excavated to improve drainage. These wetlands are jurisdictional under the Corps regulatory program as described in the 1995 "Ditch" Regulatory Guidance Letter. This guidance states that excavated wetlands that carry a pre-existing waterway or that are constructed on a hydric soil and continue to be influenced by groundwater are jurisdictional. Some occurrences of this type of wetland are along the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific railroad tracks near Salt Creek along SM-4, along the Mo-Pac Trail near Walton along EC-1, and in the vicinity of the proposed I-80 interchange.

Emergent Drainage Wetlands. Emergent drainage wetlands occur within the tributaries to Salt Creek, Stevens Creek, and Little Nemaha River. These wetlands are classified as PEMA (palustrine emergent temporarily flooded wetlands), PEMC (palustrine emergent seasonally flooded wetlands) and PEMF (palustrine emergent semi-permanently flooded wetlands). Dominant species include narrowleaf cattail, broadleaf cattail, reed canarygrass, prairie cordgrass, curly dock, smartweed, sedges, rushes, green bulrush and spikerush.

Some of these wetlands have also been created by excavation or modified to improve drainage. Once again, if the wetland carries a previously existing waterway, or was constructed on hydric soils, and is presently ditched or excavated, it remains jurisdictional under the Corps regulatory program.

Impounded Drainage Wetlands. Impounded drainage wetlands occur along many of the tributaries to Salt Creek, Stevens Creek and Little Nemaha River. They were generally created as farm ponds or shallow impoundments. Some of the impoundments have been breached and now only maintain shallow water depths. These are classified as PEMCh (palustrine emergent seasonally flooded impounded wetlands) and PEM2Fh (palustrine emergent non-persistent permanently flooded impounded wetlands). Others continue to retain water at greater depth and are devoid of rooted emergent vegetation. These deepwater habitats are not generally jurisdictional under the Corps 404 regulatory program and are classified as PUBFh (palustrine unconsolidated bottom semi-permanently flooded impounded wetlands). The emergent impounded wetlands are generally dominated by narrowleaf cattail, broadleaf cattail, arrowhead, reed canarygrass, prairie cordgrass, sedges and rushes. Some of the deepwater wetlands have a vegetated shelf several feet wide surrounding them with similar plant species, while others are devoid of any vegetated margin.

Isolated Wetlands Isolated wetlands occur in isolated depressions and excavations along the four alternatives. These wetlands are classified as PEMA and PEMC. Dominant species in these wetlands include prairie cordgrass, switchgrass, curly dock, marsh pepper smartweed, Pennsylvania smartweed, Lady's Thumb, reed canarygrass, narrowleaf cattail, broadleaf cattail, green bulrush, and arrowhead.

Saline Wetlands. The interagency study team (Gilbert and Stutheit, 1994) mapped only a small number of Category IV freshwater wetlands occurring on non-saline soils in the vicinity of the I-80 interchange. No saline wetlands, or freshwater wetlands occurring on saline soils, were mapped along the four alternatives. The closest saline wetlands occur about 1.6 km (1.0 mi) west of the proposed I-80 interchange near the intersection of North 98^th Street and Cornhusker Highway.

Farmed Wetlands. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) Land Classification maps indicate one farmed wetland along the East Mid alignment near "A" Street. Farmed wetlands are considered jurisdictional under the Corps 404 regulatory program if they have not been drained. This wetland did not appear to be drained or ditched and was dominated by sedges and spikerush. Therefore, this wetland would be considered jurisdictional.

Another type of farmed wetlands occurs in upland terraces created for erosion control and terrace farming. If these areas are not farmed for 5 years, and they exhibit wetland characteristics they become jurisdictional. One terrace wetland was identified during the field survey along the EM-1alternative was located in a field that had been enrolled in CRP for over five years. This wetland therefore, is jurisdictional.

7.0 IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED ALTERNATIVES

Most of the wetlands and waterways identified during the field surveys will be impacted by various configurations of the four alternatives. The impacts include actual Beltway crossings, interchanges, bridges, exit and entrance-ramps and access roads. Table D.4 provides a summary of the estimated wetland impacts for the four finalist alternatives. Table D.5 provides more detail about each of the identified wetlands and waterways, and indicates whether they are considered jurisdictional under the Corps 404 regulatory program, their classification based on field observations, and the alternatives that will impact them. Each site is referenced in Table D.5 by Section, Township and Range for greater ease in locating them. Those classifications in the table that have an (NWI) next to them indicate the sites that were assessed from aerial photography and maps. The classification for these sites is from the NWI.

Table D.4

SUMMARY OF ESTIMATED WETLAND IMPACTS ALONG

THE FOUR FINALIST ALTERNATIVES

8.0 PROPOSED MITIGATION

Mitigation has been proposed to replace the wetlands at a minimum ratio of 1:1 replacement-to-loss. Wetland mitigation sites may be located along the proposed project route at feasible sites, or may be located in the City of Lincoln's Wetland Mitigation Bank, currently under development.

11Feb01

Table D.5
WETLAND LOCATIONS AND IMPACTS ALONG THE FOUR FINALIST ALTERNATIVES

APPENDIX D-A

Photolog

APPENDIX D-B

Routine Wetland Determination

Data Forms

SAMPLE DATA FORM IS PROVIDED.

FULL APPENDIX PROVIDED SEPARATELY TO US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS.

DATA AVAILABLE ON REQUEST.