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Regional Supplements to the 1987 USACE Wetlands Delineation Manual

These documents are part of a series of Regional Supplements to the 1987 Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual (hereafter called the Corps Manual). The Corps Manual provides technical guidance and procedures, from a national perspective, for identifying and delineating wetlands that may be subject to regulatory jurisdiction under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344) or Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act (33 U.S.C. 403). According to the Corps Manual, identification of wetlands is based on a three-factor approach involving indicators of hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soil, and wetland hydrology. This Regional Supplement presents wetland indicators, delineation guidance, and other information that is specific to the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain Region.

These Regional Supplements are part of a nationwide effort to address regional wetland characteristics and improve the accuracy and efficiency of wetland-delineation procedures. Regional differences in climate, geology, soils, hydrology, plant and animal communities, and other factors are important to the identification and functioning of wetlands. These differences cannot be considered adequately in a single national manual. The development of this supplement follows National Academy of Sciences recommendations to increase the regional sensitivity of wetland-delineation methods (National Research Council 1995).

The intent of these supplements is to bring the Corps Manual up to date with current knowledge and practice in regions and not to change the way wetlands are defined or identified. The procedures given in the Corps Manual, in combination with wetland indicators and guidance provided in these supplements, can be used to identify wetlands for a number of purposes, including resource inventories, management plans, and regulatory programs. The determination that a wetland is subject to regulatory jurisdiction under Section 404 or Section 10 must be made independently of procedures described in this supplement.

These Regional Supplements are designed for use with the current version of the Corps Manual (Environmental Laboratory 1987) and all subsequent versions. Where differences in the two documents occur, the Regional Supplement takes precedence over the Corps Manual for applications in the applicable region.

All Regional Supplements have been issued as Version 2.0.  All wetland delineations must be done in accordance with the applicable Regional Supplements.

Major Land Resource Areas

Major Land Resource Areas within Philadelphia District

  • MLRA and Land Resource Region (LRR) Explorer

    • LRR S - Northern Atlantic Slope Diversified Farming Region
      MLRA 148 - Northern Piedmont

    • LRR S - Northern Atlantic Slope Diversified Farming Region
      MLRA 147 - Northern Appalachian Ridges and Valleys

    • LRR S - Northern Atlantic Slope Diversified Farming Region
      MLRA 149A - Northern Coastal Plain

    • LRR R - Northeastern Forage and Forest Region
      MLRA 144A - New England and Eastern New York Upland, Southern Part

    • Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain Regional Supplement

  • Effective November 2010  Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual: Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain Region (Version 2.0)
  • Coastal Plain Data Sheet
    Any wetland delineations for permit applications or Jurisdictional Determinations submitted to the Corps should be completed using this form. Applications submitted using the 1987 form may be considered incomplete.
  • The approximate spatial extent of the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain Region is shown in Figure 1. The region includes the following Land Resource Regions (LRR) and Major Land Resource Areas (MLRA) recognized by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service 2006):
    • All of LRR O (called the Mississippi Alluvial Valley in this supplement)
    • The following portions of LRR P (Inner Coastal Plain): MLRAs 133A, 133B, 134, 135A, 135B, 137, and 138 (all except MLRA 136)
    • MLRA 149A of LRR S (Northern Coastal Plain)
    • All of LRR T (Outer Coastal Plain)
    • All of LRR U (Florida Peninsula)

    • Most of the wetland indicators presented in this supplement are applicable throughout the entire Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain Region. However, some are applicable only to particular subregions (LRR) or smaller areas (MLRA).

    Region and subregion boundaries are depicted in Figure 1 as sharp lines. However, climatic conditions and the physical and biological characteristics of landscapes do not change abruptly at the boundaries. In reality, regions and subregions often grade into one another in broad transition zones that may be tens or hundreds of miles wide. The lists of wetland indicators presented in these Regional Supplements may differ between adjoining regions or subregions. In transitional areas, the investigator must use experience and good judgment to select the supplement and indicators that are appropriate to the site based on its physical and biological characteristics.

    Eastern Mountains and Piedmont Regional Supplement

  • Effective April 2012 Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual: Eastern Mountains and Piedmont (Version 2.0)

    Datasheets:  Any wetland delineations for permit applications or Jurisdictional Determinations submitted to the Corps should be completed using this form. Applications submitted using the 1987 form may be considered incomplete.

    • The region map is based on a combination of Land Resource Region (LRR) N and Major Land Resource Areas (MLRAs)136 in LRR P, and 147 and 148 in LRR S, as recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (2006).Most of the wetland indicators presented in this supplement are applicable throughout the entire Eastern Mountains and Piedmont Region. However, some indicators are restricted to specific subregions (i.e., LRRs or MLRAs).

    Region and subregion boundaries are depicted in Figure 1 as sharp lines. However, climatic conditions and the physical and biological characteristics of landscapes do not change abruptly at the boundaries. In reality, regions and subregions often grade into one another in broad transition

    Northcentral and Northeast Regional Supplement

  • Effective January 2012 Regional Supplement Document Version 2.0
  • Regional Supplement Datasheet Any wetland delineations for permit applications or Jurisdictional Determinations submitted to the Corps should be completed using this form. Applications submitted using the 1987 form may be considered incomplete.

  • The approximate spatial extent of the Northcentral and Northeast Region is shown in Figure 1. The region map is based on a combination of Land Resource Regions (LRR) K, L, and R, and Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 149B in LRR S, as recognized by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service 2006a). Most of the wetland indicators presented in this supplement are applicable throughout the entire Northcentral and Northeast Region. However, some indicators are restricted to specific subregions (i.e., LRRs) or smaller areas (i.e., MLRAs).

    Region and subregion boundaries are depicted in Figure 1 as sharp lines. However, climatic conditions and the physical and biological characteristics of landscapes do not change abruptly at the boundaries. In reality, regions and subregions often grade into one another in broad transition zones that may be tens or hundreds of miles wide. The lists of wetland indicators presented in these Regional Supplements may differ between adjoining regions or subregions.

    In transitional areas, the investigator must use experience and good judgment to select the supplement and indicators that are appropriate to the site based on its physical and biological characteristics. Wetland boundaries are not likely to differ between two supplements in transitional areas, but one supplement may provide more detailed treatment of certain problem situations encountered on the site. If in doubt about which supplement to use in a transitional area, apply both supplements and compare the results.

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