Our teams of Hunter - Gatherers have returned safely from their expeditions to the swamps north and south to bring home wild boar, gator, shrimp, frog legs, cranberries and many other wetland delicacies! For people more inclined to 21st century fare; they also found some amazing grocery stores nearby stocked with hamburgers, hot dogs, wines - and a beer truck!

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On August 29, the proposed stormwater management regulations were published in the Virginia Registrar, which brought them one step closer to completion.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently withdrawn its proposal to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to revise the controversial numeric turbidity limit. These limits were first issued in December 2009 as part of the Final Rule entitled "Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Construction and Development Point Source Category", which established the first enforceable numeric limit on the amount of pollutants in stormwater that may be discharged from certain construction and development sites (as described in Field Notes Vol. 18, No. 10).

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Earlier this year, the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued a guidance memorandum announcing revised notification procedures for the issuance of Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (VPDES), Virginia Pollution Abatement (VPA), and Virginia Water Protection (VWP) permits. Prior to the issuance of their revised notification procedures on March 18, 2011, local government, adjacent and/or riparian property owner notification was only required for new permits or major modifications to existing permits. Compliance with the new procedures versus these notifications for any permit modification - regardless of how minor it is.

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The State Water Control Board (SWCB) is proposing to update the Water Reclamation and Reuse regulations, including a provision to specifically exclude rainwater harvesting from the regulation’s requirements.  This is beneficial to all developers who are planning to include rainwater harvesting as part of a stormwater management plan or to help meet the requirements of a local Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP).

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If you are planning to develop property in Northern Virginia that has a clear, moderate to fast-flowing perennial stream and a relatively undisturbed floodplain¹, you may need a survey for the wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) this winter - or your wetlands permitting may be delayed up to a year!

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This article, written by Thomas Bolles of the Prince William Unit of the Virginia Cooperative Extension, follows up on Field Notes (Vol. 19, No. 5) and provides additional information specifically for homeowners on how soil amendments can be implemented on residential lawns. The following recommendations are based on Virginia Cooperative Extension guidelines to help establish and maintain a healthy turf.

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About Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. (WSSI):

WSSI is the leading provider of natural and cultural resource consulting services in Northern Virginia. The firm has worked on a total of over 5,000 projects, comprising 200,000 acres, and has created hundreds of acres of wetlands and restored miles of streams. Our team of 80+ engineers, scientists, archeologists, ecosystem technicians, GIS/survey/compliance and technology/training specialists, and administrative staff yield a unique combination of disciplines focused on wetlands and water resources and provide creative solutions for integrating the constraints of economics and land plan requirements with local, state, and federal environmental regulations. For more information about WSSI, visit our Web site at www.wetlandstudies.com.