The following descriptions of high-quality aquatic resources. This list is to be used as a guideline for identifying high quality resources in Will County. High quality aquatic resources are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and may include species not found in this list.
ADVANCED IDENTIFICATION (ADID) SITES. Aquatic sites that have been identified by the District and United States Environmental Protection Agency, in advance of specific permit requests, as areas generally unsuitable for disposal of dredged or fill material. ADID sites include various waters of the United States, including wetlands, identified in Kane, Lake and McHenry Counties.
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. P.
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.
DUNE AND SWALE COMPLEX. Areas usually parallel to the Lake Michigan shoreline and typified by sandy, linear, upland ridges alternating with low-relief wetland created over time during changes in the Lake Michigan’s water levels.
FEN. A peatland, herbaceous (including calcareous floating mats) or wooded, with calcareous groundwater flow.
FORESTED WETLAND. A wetland dominated by native woody vegetation with at least one of the following species or genera present: Carya spp., Cephalanthus occidentalis, Cornus alternifolia, Fraxinus nigra, Juglans cinerea, Nyssa sylvatica, Quercus spp., Thuja occidentalis, Betula nigra, Betula alleghaniensis, Betula papyrifera, Fagus grandifolia.
SEDGE MEADOW. A wetland dominated by at least one of the following genera: Carex, Calamagrostis, Cladium, Deschampsia, Eleocharis, Rhynchospora, Scleria or Eriophorum.
SEEP. A wetland, herbaceous or wooded, with saturated soil or inundation resulting from the diffuse flow of groundwater to the surface stratum.
STREAMS RATED A OR B IN THE ILLINOIS BIOLOGICAL STREAM CHARACTERIZATION STUDY. Reference Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Biological Stream Characterization (BSC): Biological Assessment of Illinois Stream Quality (latest edition) for a current listing.
WET PRAIRIE. A wetland dominated by native graminoid species with a diverse indigenous forb component that is seasonally saturated and/or temporarily inundated and may be resemble a fen in its best development. Species found in a high quality wet prairie include at least one of the following: Calamagrostis Canadensis, Spartina pectinata, Aster puniceus firmus, Beckmannia syzigachne, Chelone glabra, Eleocharis wolfii, Lysimachia quadrifolia, Oenothera perennis, Oenothera pilosella, Pedicularis lanceolata and Solidago ohioensis.
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 United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants list (latest edition) and/or contact the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
WETLANDS WITH A FLORISTIC QUALITY INDEX OF 20 OR GREATER OR A MEAN C-VALUE OF 3.5 OR GREATER. Reference Plants of the Chicago Region (F. Swink and G. Wilhelm, 4th edition, Indianapolis: Indiana Academy of Science, 1994).
Further information on the areas described above can be found in the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Advanced Identification studies for Kane, Lake and McHenry Counties, the Chicago Wilderness’ Biodiversity Recovery Plan, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County’s The Natural Communities of Cook County: An Ecological Classification System for Terrestrial Communities, Swink and Wilhelm’s Plants of the Chicago Region, and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s Biological Stream Characterization (BSC): Biological Assessment of Illinois Stream.
(Ord. 10-164, passed 6-17-2010)