Services Wetland & Mitigation

Wetlands are protected at both the state and federal level by several different laws and regulations, and CECOS staff are well-informed about these requirements. CECOS scientists have technical expertise applying the 1987 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Wetlands Delineation Manual, USACE Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain Regional Supplement, and the Florida Wetlands Delineation Manual to define jurisdictional wetland boundaries in the field. Our expert team of professionals has a wide variety of experience dealing with wetland and permitting issues, and has strong skills in the following areas:

Wetland plant identification
Hydric soil identification
Hydrology indicators
Habitat classification
Wetland functional assessment procedures (UMAM, WRAP, M-WRAP, WATER, Ratios)
Wetland Evaluation Report (WER) production for federally-funded projects
Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA)
Wood stork foraging impact analysis
Wetland delineations using mobile GIS technology
Wetland restoration requirements
Compensatory mitigation plans
Development and implementation of maintenance and monitoring programs, and
Agency coordination, negotiation and documentation

CECOS relies upon its depth of experience, expert knowledge, and strong GIS technology to efficiently complete wetland related projects. Familiarity with applicable laws and permitting requirements as well as strong industry contacts enable CECOS to effectively handle complex wetland related issues. Numerous projects have been successfully completed for both public sector and private sector clients.

CECOS staff work closely with clients to achieve project objectives, while avoiding and minimizing wetland impacts to the maximum extent practicable. If impacts cannot be completely avoided, on or off-site compensatory mitigation is often required by Federal, State and County regulations and project permits. CECOS scientists are highly skilled at planning and calculating wetland mitigation for our clients. Most projects require direct and secondary wetland impacts as well as wood stork suitable foraging habitat impacts, if within the core foraging area (CFA) of a colony.

CECOS will coordinate with the client and determine the most appropriate method for offsetting impacts. Although CECOS has been involved in numerous projects requiring on-site wetland restoration and post-construction monitoring, off-site mitigation banks are often selected. In fact, the USACE’s mitigation hierarchy designates this as the preferred option in most situations, if feasible.

Mitigation banks are typically chosen based on their proximity to the impact site, whether they have similar wetland and wildlife habitats, and their service area. Depending on the selected bank, CECOS has conducted wetland mitigation determinations using various functional methodologies (e.g. UMAM, WRAP, M-WRAP, WATER) and cumulative impacts assessments.

See our projects below:

PGA Boulevard Improvement Project

Description of Work: This project involved the reconstruction of PGA Boulevard by raising the centerline grade within existing right-of-way (ROW) to provide safety improvements, alleviate flooding, and restore hydrologic connectivity between Loxahatchee Slough and Grassy Waters Preserve. One potential benefit of restored connectivity was the opportunity for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to establish an onsite Permittee-Responsible Regional Off-Site Mitigation Area (PROMA). The resulting freshwater wetland credits/functional gain units will be based on the Uniform Mitigation Assessment Method (UMAM) to mitigate in-kind wetland impacts resulting from future FDOT road projects. CECOS staff also assisted in the development of the Design-Build RFP, served as part of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for the Design-Build phase; and is currently providing post design services.

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