The following are descriptions of high-quality aquatic resources:
1. Advanced Identification (ADID) sites: Aquatic sites that have been determined to provide biological values by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1992, Advanced Identification (ADID) Study, Lake County, Illinois, Chicago, Illinois) or latest ADID study.
2. Bog: A low nutrient peatland, usually in a glacial depression, that is acidic in the surface stratum and often dominated at least in part by the genus Sphagnum.
3. Ephemeral pool: A seasonally inundated depression within a forested wetland or upland community, usually located on a moraine, glacial outwash plain, or in an area shallow to bedrock; also known locally as a “vernal pool.” These areas may not be permanently vegetated.
4. Fen: A peatland, herbaceous (including calcareous floating mats) or wooded, with calcareous groundwater flow.
5. High-quality forested wetland: A forested wetland dominated by native woody vegetation by at least one of the following species or genera: Carya spp., Cephalanthus occidentalis, Cornus alternifolia, Fraxinus nigra, Juglans cinerea, and Quercus spp.
6. Sedge meadow: A wetland dominated by at least one of the following genera: Carex (except Carex blanda, Carex grisea, and Carex vulpinodea), Calamagrostis, Cladium, Deschampsia, Rhynchospora, Scleria, or Eriophorum.
7. Seep: A wetland, herbaceous or wooded, with saturated soil or inundation resulting from the diffuse flow of groundwater to the surface stratum.
8. Streams shown on the most recent USGS quadrangle map as a perennial (solid blue line) or intermittent (dashed blue line) that are not determined to be a Waters of the U.S. If a site specific Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) assessment is lower than 35, this stream reach shall not be considered a HQAR.
9. Streamside marsh: An isolated waters of Lake County wetland that is within a ten-year riverine floodplain and dominated by herbaceous species.
10. Wet prairie: A wetland dominated by native graminoid species with a diverse indigenous forb component that is seasonally saturated and/or temporarily inundated.
11. Wetlands supporting federal or Illinois endangered or threatened species: For current state-listed species, reference Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board’s Checklist of Endangered and Threatened Animals and Plants of Illinois and/or contact the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. For federally listed species, reference the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants list (latest edition) and/or contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
12. Wetlands with a native mean coefficient of conservatism value (native mean C value) of greater than or equal to 3.5 or a native floristic quality index value (FQI) of greater than or equal to 20 as determined using the Chicago Region Floristic Quality Assessment Calculator (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District, most recent version).
13. Wetlands that are within a designated Illinois Natural Areas Inventory Site (INAI).
(Ord., Appendix N, passed 10-13-2009; Ord. passed 10-9-2012; Ord. 22-1060, passed 8-9-2022)