MDT Montana Wetland Field Evaluation Form and Instructions July 1, 1996 



6. Wetland Location(s): Briefly describe where the wetland is located. Indicate which major Montana 

 watershed basin (Appendix B) contains the site. For highway projects, include highway, milepost, and 

 county. 



7. Evaluation Purpose: Check the appropriate project category. 



8. Estimated Total Wetland Size: Enter the estimated size of the entire wetland that includes the 

 assessment area (AA). If the AA is delineated such that the entire wetland is included, the responses to 8 

 and 9 will be the same. 



9. Estimated Acreage of Assessment Area (AA): Indicate the estimated acreage as well as the 

 boundaries of the AA using the guidance below. If splitting a wetland into more than one AA, indicate 

 the AA boundaries on the wetland delineation map. Wetlands bisected by roads may be considered as a 

 single AA or as more than one AA, depending on the perceived degree of hydrologic/biological 

 interaction between the two halves. 



The AA includes the portion of the wetland and other associated waters of the U.S. that are: 



A. within a proposed project right-of-way, construction easement, permit area, known 

 detour area, etc. (e.g., within the area of interest) and 



B. contiguous to a physical point of significant hydrologic change (these can include 

 jurisdictional boundaries, points where jurisdictional wetlands are no longer adjacent to a 

 non-wetland channel, natural [geomorphic] or man made constrictions or expansions, 

 points where the gradient changes rapidly, points of significant inflow [e.g., tributaries], 

 or places where other factors limit hydrologic interaction; if the wetland contains points 

 of significant hydrologic change, it is appropriate to evaluate it in separate AAs). Qr 



C. contiguous to a distance of 0.5 miles from the proposed project, whichever of B or C is 

 closer to the proposed project. 



The following conditions apply to wetlands contiguous with open water. Open water is defined as any 

 area of standing or flowing water without emergent (not including pioneer species), scrub-shrub, or 

 forested vegetation (e.g., in most cases, a flooded wet meadow would not be considered to contain open 

 water) . 



Where wetlands are contiguous with standing non-wetland water bodies (lakes, ponds): 



If wetlands are contiguous with < 20 acres of open water (e.g., prairie pothole), include 

 all open water in AA to a distance from the project determined by A, B, and C above. 



If wetlands are contiguous with > 20 acres of open water (e.g., Flathead Lake), include 

 open water in the AA to the estimated deep water line (>6.6 feet) or to a point that is 

 double the wetland shoreline width, whichever is greater. 



