Vicksburg, Mississippi – The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Environmental Laboratory (EL) recently published a groundbreaking technical guide geared toward identifying Ordinary High Water Marks (OHWM) across the nation.
In January, EL’s Wetlands Regulatory Assistance Program (WRAP) published the ERDC technical report, “National Ordinary High Water Mark Field Delineation Manual for Rivers and Streams: Final Version" (National OHWM Manual). The manual enables more timely, consistent, transparent and predictable U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Regulatory decision-making as part of more than 70,000 permitting actions conducted yearly across the Corps.
The project, funded by WRAP, was a collaboration between Dr. Gabrielle David, a research physical scientist/fluvial geomorphologist for ERDC’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL); the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the University of Louisville; the University of South Carolina; and Colorado State University, as well as the USACE-Los Angeles District, USACE-Kansas City District and USACE-Wilmington District. The team collected and analyzed data at 120 sites around the United States and authored nine supporting scientific and technical publications.
The partnership created a lane for David, her team and their collaborators to form the national OHWM guide that could be a go-to source for regulators.
“Each step was taken to provide an additional layer of transparency and public involvement as we worked towards releasing the final version of the manual,” said David. “It is fantastic to see all that collaborative work come together to provide the public and practitioners with a technical resource that will improve accuracy, consistency, and efficiency of OHWM identification and will hopefully be used for years to come."
The OHWM is a line on the shore of rivers, lakes and streams that indicates the spot where the fluctuation of water levels leave a distinct mark on the physical characteristics of the shore. This line is used to define the boundaries of certain aquatic features for federal, state and local regulatory purposes. Under the Clean Water Act, the OHWM determines the lateral limits of federal jurisdiction for non-tidal waters in the absence of adjacent wetlands. Publishing the National OHWM Manual provides an accompanying technical resource for the public and practitioners to use when identifying the OHWM for permitting needs. Before the National OHWM Manual, regulators referred to the OHWM guidance provided by USACE in 2005. The National OHWM complements that guidance by providing a scientifically based and rapid framework to support OHWM identification.
David believes the guidance allows for a more efficient permitting process by accelerating permitting timelines and enabling consistency.
“Use of the manual and accompanying data sheet and field procedure will improve efficiencies in OHWM identification, potentially reducing timelines for permitting,” said David. “This can have a profound time-savings during the permitting process because identifying the OHWM is one of first steps before work can be completed around a stream or river channel. It is essential that regulators have tools for rapid, efficient, consistent and accurate decision making.”
To transition the manual to practice, David and her team also led field training for more than 400 personnel from USACE and EPA at several USACE district offices and held listening sessions for more than 300 USACE and EPA attendees. David also hosted public online trainings with over 500 participants and authored other scientific communications to increase the successful tech transfer of the National OHWM Manual.
The road to completing this manual was extensive, as David and her team invested time into collecting comprehensive data for what is becoming a go-to for regulators across the country. David feels accomplished and proud of the final product.
“It is extraordinarily rewarding to see the work of the combined efforts of so many individuals finally come to fruition in the publication of this final manual, which will improve the accuracy and consistency of USACE Regulatory decision-making, while also ensuring those decisions are based on sound science,” said David.
Kyle Gordon, Associate Technical Director for Environmental Engineering and Sciences at EL, also highlighted the importance of partnership and how it was the driving force behind the manual's successful publication.
“Collaboration is great for ERDC because it makes everything and everyone better,” said Gordon. “Working together allows us to develop even better products. Additionally, it helps researchers expand their expertise while networking and creating connections that could lead to opportunities for them to support or contribute to research in other labs and agencies. Connecting with other researchers to get quality expertise is a testament to how ERDC values teamwork.”
Interest in the manual has been high, leading to an influx of regulatory professionals and other practitioners using it as a resource.
“It’s been rewarding to see that there is an interest in this manual,” said Gordon. “Seeing the product that we’ve developed get used often is an example of ERDC doing things to help the public and USACE make decisions faster and better. Working on this project with Dr. David and our collaborators was a great experience.”
Jennifer Moyer, chief of the USACE Headquarters Regulatory Program, applauded ERDC for the support in getting this manual completed.
“ERDC’s collaboration with USACE, with other federal agencies and with the public was instrumental to the development and publication of the National OHWM Manual,” said Moyer. “ERDC also played a key role in helping USACE facilitate a meaningful public engagement and participation process to inform the development of the final manual. USACE truly appreciates ERDC’s collaboration and support during the development of the National OHWM Manual and ERDC’s continuing support to facilitate and promote accurate and consistent implementation nationwide.”