Category: News

Stream + Wetlands (formerly Ohio Wetlands)  is pleased to announce approval of our In-Lieu-Fee Program (ILFP) for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Pittsburgh District. In May, OWF received approval for the ILFP covering the Upper Scioto and Tuscarawas watershed in the Huntington Corps District. The Pittsburgh District comprises part of eastern Ohio while the Huntington District encompasses 45,000 square miles in parts of five states, including the majority of Ohio. Prior to these approvals, these districts had very few options for wetland mitigation credits as many existing mitigation banks have few or no available credits. This authorization will assist permit applicants in these Districts with their mitigation needs.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. EPA have extended the end date for submitting comments on the new Waters of the U.S. definition to October 20, 2014. The public comment period was originally scheduled to end on July 21, 2014.  Click here for more details.

Stream + Wetlands (formerly Ohio Wetlands) is pleased to announce approval of our In-Lieu-Fee Program (ILFP) for the Huntington Corps District. Approval for the Ohio portion of the Pittsburgh Corps District is still pending. Contact Vince Messerly for information about purchasing credits.

Successful compensatory wetland mitigation projects are critical for the biological and water quality health of our nation’s watersheds. In a recent article published in the National Wetlands Newsletter, Stream + Wetlands’ President Vince Messerly and Greg Snowden, biologist/project manager at The Davey Tree Expert Company, discuss the ecological performance of two adjacent wetland mitigation banks and the importance of designing mitigation and restoration projects toward natural reference standards. Click here to read the entire article.

The EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers’ long-awaited proposed rule redefining “waters of the U.S.” was published on April 21 in the Federal Register. The agencies have provided a 90-day comment period on the proposed rule, with comments due on July 21. While the proposed rule is widely expected to be identical to the pre-publication version of the draft rule released on EPA’s website on March 25, 2014, Stream + Wetlands (formerly Ohio Wetlands Foundation) will be comparing both documents to identify and alert you to any substantive changes that may have occurred.

Karl Gebhardt was recently named the new chief for the Division of Surface Water and deputy director of water resources by Ohio EPA Director Craig W. Butler. Gebhardt recently served as the ODNR deputy director and was the point person for water quality and water resource issues. Prior to that, he was chief of ODNR’s Division of Soil and Water Resources, where he provided leadership to expand on-the-ground conservation practices and develop legislation that would help in the efficient and effective delivery of conservation programs for nutrient management.

On March 25, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) jointly released a proposed rule to clarify protection under the Clean Water Act for streams and wetlands that form the foundation of the nation’s water resources. Over the next 90 days, the agencies are launching an outreach effort, holding discussions around the country and gathering input. The proposed rule clarifies protection for streams and wetlands. The proposed definitions of waters will apply to all Clean Water Act programs.

As Ohio currently has a robust isolated wetland permitting program (Ohio Revised Code Chapter 6111) already in place, this new ruling will not affect Ohio as much as it will states that do not currently have a strong permitting program. Stream + Wetlands Foundation will continue to monitor the status of this new ruling and will provide updates as necessary.

Governor Kasich appointed Craig W. Butler as director of the Ohio Environmental Protection agency on February 21. Butler has served as interim director of the Agency since early January and previously served as the Assistant Policy Director for Energy, Agriculture and the Environment in Kasich’s administration. Read more here.

Stream + Wetlands (formerly Ohio Wetlands Foundation) teamed with Wetlands Resource Center to pursue the recently issued Request for Letters of Interest (LOI) to provide 65,296 feet of compensatory stream mitigation for Phases 2 and 3 of the Portsmouth Bypass Project (SCI-823, Portsmouth Bypass, PID No. 19415). The Wetlands Resource Center/Ohio Wetlands Foundation team was selected from a field of four respondents as the best qualified team to complete the required amount of stream mitigation. The stream mitigation project will include nearly 20,000 feet of restored/enhanced stream and more than 40,000 feet of protected high quality ephemeral and intermittent stream. Wetlands Resource Center will be led by Cal Miller and Ohio Wetlands Foundation will be led by Vince Messerly on this very important project. The conceptual stream mitigation plan is due to be submitted by May 23, and final mitigation plan documents are to be delivered by August 1.

Ohio Wetlands President Vince Messerly was recently asked to share his insights on compensatory mitigation practices in the United States with the United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Consultants working on behalf of DEFRA are preparing a report exploring compensatory mitigation costs and benefits in other countries and interviewed Messerly. The information gathered in the report may lead to an environmental credit trading program in the U.K. in the future.