Florida Administrative Code › 62 - DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › 62 - Departmental › Chapter 62-611 - WETLANDS APPLICATION › Section 62-611.500 - Standards Within Treatment and Receiving Wetlands

Current through Reg. 50, No. 138; July 16, 2024
(1) The
				following water quality standards of Chapter 62-302, F.A.C., shall not apply in
				the treatment or receiving wetland: paragraph
				 62-302.500(2)(f),
				subsections  62-302.530(7),
				 62-302.530(11) 
				and  62-302.530(31),
				F.A.C., the total coliform bacteria standard in paragraph and subsections
				 62-302.530(48)(a),
				 62-302.530(62),
				 62-302.530(68) 
				and  62-302.530(70),
				F.A.C. However, Outstanding Florida Water ambient water quality may not be
				lowered, as required in subsection
				 62-4.242(2),
				F.A.C.
(2) Levels of dissolved
				oxygen including daily and seasonal fluctuations shall be maintained to prevent
				violations of the biological quality standards contained in Rule
				 62-611.500, F.A.C.
(3) Wetland Biological Quality:
(a) The flora and fauna of the wetland shall
				not be changed to the extent that the ability of the wetland to function in the
				propagation and maintenance of healthy, well-balanced populations of fish and
				wildlife is impaired.
(b) Benthic
				Macroinvertebrates.
1. The Shannon-Weaver
				diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates shall not be reduced to less than 50%
				of background levels as measured using organisms retained by a U.S. Standard
				No. 30 sieve and collected and composited from either Hester-Dendy type
				artificial substrate samplers of 0.10 to 0.15 square meters each, incubated for
				a period of four weeks; or measured using organisms retained by a U.S. Standard
				No. 30 sieve and collected and composited from natural substrate samplers, such
				as benthic grabs or coring devices. If grabs or cores are to be taken,
				ponar-type samplers with minimum sampling areas of 225 square centimeters or
				coring devices with minimum sampling areas of 45 square centimeters shall be
				used. Any of these types of samplers can be used at each sampling station, but
				once a type of sampler is used at a station it must always be used at that
				station. The minimum number of samples necessary at a given station shall be
				that number needed to be 90% certain of being within 15% of the mean diversity
				of the population.
2. Once a
				determination of the needed number of samples is made for a station, that
				number of samples shall continue to be used at the station.
3. The Shannon-Weaver diversity index shall
				be as defined in Rule
				 62-302.200,
				F.A.C.
(c) Fish.
In a wetland with fish populations, an analysis of covariance
				  shall be conducted annually, by species, using water depth as a covariant and
				  biomass as a dependent variable. Where significant (0.15) changes from baseline
				  data in biomass occur the permittee shall determine the cause of this change.
				  Where significant changes occur that cannot be statistically attributed to
				  factors other than the discharge, it shall constitute a violation of this
				  section if the biomass of sport and commercial or of forage fish decreases by
				  at least 10%. Where significant changes occur that cannot be statistically
				  attributed to factors other than the discharge, it shall also constitute a
				  violation of this section if the biomass of rough fish increases by at least
				  25% unless the ratio of sport and commercial fish to rough fish is maintained.
				  All data shall be collected at times when standing water is present in the
				  wetland. If sampling at any station yields no fish for four consecutive
				  quarters when water is present, the fish sampling at that station can be
				  eliminated. Standardized samples shall be collected using an electroshocking
				  device along a series of evenly spaced transects in the wetland, or using a
				  Wegener Ring, with a minimum sampling area of 0.8
				  m2, thrown at 30 meter intervals along a series of
				  evenly spaced transects in the wetland; or any other similar method approved by
				  the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission and the Department. Any fish
				  kills observed during any monitoring shall be reported to the Department
				  immediately.
(d) Vegetation.
1. The importance value of each plant species
				occupying the canopy and subcanopy strata, as defined in subsection
				 62-301.400(1),
				F.A.C., shall be determined at each station and averaged over the entire
				wetland. The importance value of any of the most common species in the canopy
				and subcanopy at any station shall not be reduced by more than 50% excluding
				the following species:
(1)
Casuarina
				spp.
(Australian pine),
(2)
Melaleuca quinquenervia
(punk tree),
(3)
Sapium
				sebiferum
(popcorn tree), and
(4)
Schinus terebinthifolius
(Brazilian pepper). In addition, the average importance value for all stations
				of any of the most common plant species occupying the canopy or subcanopy
				stratum, excluding those species listed in this paragraph, shall not be reduced
				by more than 25%. The most common plant species shall be defined as those
				species present during the baseline monitoring program within the canopy and
				subcanopy that have a relative importance value of at least
				15%.
2. The minimum
				number of quadrats shall be that number needed to provide 90% certainty of
				being within 15% of the mean number of species of the population. Once the
				minimum number of quadrats is determined, the quadrats shall be permanently
				located for continued use at the station. The minimum quadrat size shall be 100
				m2 for canopy vegetation and 50
				m2 for subcanopy vegetation.
3. Reductions in the importance value or
				average importance value of a plant species resulting from management
				operations authorized by the Department or events such as fire or a hurricane
				shall not constitute a violation.