has saturated soils for sufficient duration to support the documented 

 vegetation (a or b above) . When a or b applies and there is no 

 evidence of recent hydrologic alteration, or when a or b do not apply 

 and there is documented evidence that the area is periodically 

 inundated or has saturated soils, wetland hydrology is present. Other- 

 wise, wetland hydrology does not occur on the area. Complete the 

 hydrology section of DATA FORM 1 and PROCEED TO STEP 4. 



• STEP 4 - Determine Whether the Soils Parameter Must Be Considered. 

 When either a or b of STEP 3 applies and there is either no evidence of 

 recent hydrologic alteration of the project area or if wetland hydrol- 

 ogy presently occurs on the area, hydric soils can be assumed to be 

 present. If so, PROCEED TO STEP 6. Otherwise PROCEED TO STEP 5. 



• STEP 5 - Determine Whether Hydric Soils Are Present. Examine the 

 soils data (Section B, STEP 7) and record the soil series or soil phase 

 on DATA FORM 1 for each community type. Determine whether the soil is 

 listed as a hydric soil (Appendix D, Section 2). If all community 

 types have hydric soils, the entire project area has hydric soils. 

 (CAUTION: If the soil series description makes reference to inclusions 

 of other soil types, data must be field verified) . Any portion of the 

 area that lacks hydric soils is a nonwetland. Complete the soils sec- 

 tion of each DATA FORM 1 and PROCEED TO STEP 6. 



• STEP 6 - Wetland Determination. Examine the DATA FORM 1 for each 

 community type. Any portion of the project area is a wetland that has: 



a. Hydrophytic vegetation that conforms to one of the conditions 

 ~ identified in STEP 3a or 3b and has either no evidence of 



altered hydrology or confirmed wetland hydrology. 



b. Hydrophytic vegetation that does not conform to STEP 3a or 3b, 

 has hydric soils, and has confirmed wetland hydrology. 



If STEP 6a or 6b applies to the entire project area, the entire area is 

 a wetland. Complete a DATA FORM 1 for all plant community types. Por- 

 tions of the area not qualifying as a wetland based on an office deter- 

 mination might or might not be wetlands. If the data used for the 

 determination are considered to be highly reliable, portions of the 

 area not qualifying as wetlands may properly be considered nonwetlands. 

 PROCEED TO STEP 7. If the available data are incomplete or question- 

 able, an onsite inspection (Subsection 2) will be required. 



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