CWD Wetland Identification & Classification 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which Cowardin system class describes wetlands where the substrate is dominated by rock, gravel, or sand with sparse vegetation?
- Unconsolidated Shore
- Rocky Shore (Correct answer)
- Unconsolidated Bottom
- Aquatic Bed
Correct answer: Rocky Shore
Rocky Shore is the Cowardin class characterized by hard substrate exposed at low water with little or no soil development.
Question 2: A wetland with seasonal flooding that dries completely in late summer would best be classified under which hydrologic regime modifier in the Cowardin system?
- Permanently flooded
- Intermittently flooded
- Seasonally flooded (Correct answer)
- Temporarily flooded
Correct answer: Seasonally flooded
Seasonally flooded describes wetlands that are flooded for extended periods during the growing season but may be dry for much of the year.
Question 3: Under the HGM (Hydrogeomorphic) classification, which wetland type receives water primarily from precipitation and exports it via evapotranspiration?
- Riverine
- Slope
- Depressional (Correct answer)
- Fringe
Correct answer: Depressional
Depressional wetlands are bowl-shaped features where water inputs are dominated by precipitation and surface runoff, and water loss is primarily through ET and slow seepage.
Question 4: Which NWI mapping unit code represents a palustrine emergent wetland that is seasonally flooded and not impounded?
- PEM1A
- PEM1C (Correct answer)
- PFO1A
- PSS1C
Correct answer: PEM1C
PEM1C = Palustrine (P), Emergent (EM), persistent (1), Seasonally flooded (C).
Question 5: A jurisdictional wetland determination under the Corps of Engineers 1987 Manual requires evidence of which three parameters?
- Hydrology, soils, and topography
- Hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils, and wetland hydrology (Correct answer)
- Flooding frequency, drainage class, and plant cover
- Soil saturation, OBL species, and floodplain location
Correct answer: Hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils, and wetland hydrology
The 1987 Manual and its regional supplements require positive indicators for hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils, and wetland hydrology.
Question 6: Which of the following is a correct description of a 'problematic wetland' under the Corps of Engineers framework?
- A wetland with more than 50% invasive species
- A site where one or more parameters are difficult to evaluate due to atypical conditions (Correct answer)
- Any wetland within a 100-year floodplain
- A wetland that has been partially drained but retains hydric soils
Correct answer: A site where one or more parameters are difficult to evaluate due to atypical conditions
Problematic wetlands are sites where atypical situations (drought, recent disturbance, etc.) make standard parameter evaluation unreliable.
Question 7: The term 'prior converted cropland' (PCC) in the context of wetland jurisdiction refers to areas that were:
- Wetlands converted to crops before modern Clean Water Act jurisdiction
- Wetlands drained or filled before December 23, 1985 for agricultural use (Correct answer)
- Any agricultural field with hydric soils
- Farmed wetlands exempt from all federal regulation
Correct answer: Wetlands drained or filled before December 23, 1985 for agricultural use
PCC is land that was converted from wetlands to agricultural use prior to December 23, 1985, and has been used for farming since that time.
CWD Wetland Identification & Classification 2
Which Cowardin system class describes wetlands where the substrate is dominated by rock, gravel, or sand with sparse vegetation?