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Title:	Wetland Jurisdictional Delineation and Determination for the Rio De La Plata Flood Control Project, Municipalities of Dorado, Toa Baja and Toa Alta, Puerto Rico
Authors:	PBS&J, Inc. Ambienta, Inc.
Keywords:	Flood control Wetland conservation Environmental protection Puerto Rico
Publisher:	United States. Army. Corps of Engineers. Jacksonville District.
Abstract:	The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER), in collaboration with the Puerto Rico Infrastructure Financing Authority (AFI), proposes the Rio de La Plata Flood Control Project (the Project), to be located in Rio de La Plata and adjacent wetlands to this river, in the Municipalities of Dorado, Toa Baja and Toa Alta. The Project begins at the Rio de La Plata mouth, in the Atlantic Ocean, and extends upstream to the southeastern side of Toa Alta, Puerto Rico. The Project comprises the canalization of the Rio de La Plata, and the construction of dikes or levees on both sides of the river. PBS&J Caribe Engineering, CSP (PBS&J) was contracted to conduct a Wetland Jurisdictional Determination and Delineation Study (JD) for the Project. Due to the nature of the project and the harsh working environment, as well as the limited amount of time to conduct this study, PBS&J combined efforts with Ambienta Inc., a local partner who also has significant experience in the area and nature of the project, as well as a solid working relationship with PBS&J. This document represents the JD for the Project, which consists of the straightening of approximately seven miles (6.95 mi) of the Rio de La Plata, and the construction of approximately seven and an half miles (7.6 mi) of earthen levees at both sides of the proposed channel. A total of approximately 226.18 acres of wetlands were determined to be impacted by the proposed Project's footprint, from which approximately 19.37 acres will be temporary. The identified wetland types and approximate areas are as follow: • Temporarily Flooded Wetlands: 81.14 acres • Seasonally Flooded Wetlands: 122.72 acres • Herbaceous Wetlands/Marshes: 14.4 acres • Mangroves: 5.42 acres • Open Water: 2.5 acres. The methodology employed for this study consisted preliminarily in an overall assessment of existing literature and geographic maps to determine the potential jurisdictional wetlands at the Project. Later, to specifically identify the wetland areas under the jurisdiction of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and under the jurisdiction of the United States Arm y Corps of Engineers (USACE), a detailed screening analysis was performed using Geographic Information System (GIS) tools, and data collected at the field by wetland specialists, environmental scientists, biologists and environmental technicians, based on Project limits.
Description:	Wetland Jurisdictional Delineation and Determination
Rights:	Approved for Public Release; Distribution is Unlimited
URI:	http://hdl.handle.net/11681/26722
Appears in Collections:	Environmental Documents