Wetlands Survey Underway In Utica, Jeffersonville, Indiana
September 24, 2008 - A team of environmental specialists is combing the Utica, Jeffersonville, Indiana area, looking for evidence of wetlands affected by the Ohio River Bridges Project. The crew, certified by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to recognize wetlands, is looking for soil, plant life and water that could indicate the presence of a wetland.
Environmental specialists look for soil, plant life and water that could indicate a wetland.
Two environmental specialists and a surveyor are walking 195 acres that fall within the footprint of the Ohio River Bridges Project. The search area, from the existing I-265 interchange at Highway 62 to the Ohio River, is crossed by three separate Lentzier Creek tributaries. The team, from Burgess & Niple Engineering firm, which oversees the Indiana approach to the East End Bridge, uses flags to mark potential wetland boundaries and then electronically maps the area using GPS technology.
"We're looking for telltale signs of water saturation," says Environmental Commitments Manager Jeff Vlach. "For example, if we see that the soil is stained by rust, we know it contains iron." The team is expected to wrap up its field work near the end of September, after which time a report will be filed detailing the team's findings. The Corps of Engineers and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management will use the team's report to determine whether the areas in question qualify as wetlands.
The Bridges Project must mitigate any damage done to a wetland by building a replacement wetland nearby or through the utilization of wetland banks. The replacement wetland is often several times the size of the original.
Wetlands are environmental habitats that fall somewhere between land and water. That transition between adjacent ecological communities prompts a unique mixture of species, making wetlands among the most diverse habitats.
Potential wetland areas are marked with flags then mapped electronically
"In a way, wetlands are like nature's filter," explains Vlach. "Not only do they provide flood control and serve as a wildlife habitat, but wetlands filter pollutants from rainwater before it reaches rivers, streams and lakes." Healthy wetlands can supply high-quality water to reservoirs and provide clean recreational waters for fishing and swimming.
Three conditions must be present for an area to be designated a wetland: evidence of water, special soil and vegetation. Wetlands have soil that is saturated or submerged all or part of the year. Swamps and marshes are obvious wetlands, but others are not as easily recognized. Some wetlands are dry during part of the year, and some in farm areas are identified as prior converted wetlands. The Ohio River Bridges Project is working to avoid or minimize impact on wetlands. So far, less than five acres of wetlands have been identified within the project area.
The Ohio River Bridges Project, the third-largest federally funded transportation project in the country, calls for building two bridges and the highways leading to them, including a reconfiguration of the Kennedy Interchange (a.k.a. Spaghetti Junction).
The Bridges Project is currently in the design phase with construction scheduled to be complete by 2024.