Texas Administrative Code › Title 31 - NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION › Part 1 - GENERAL LAND OFFICE › Chapter 15 - COASTAL AREA PLANNING › Subchapter D - CERTIFICATION OF COASTAL WETLANDS › Section 15.51 - Policy; Scope of Rules; Definitions

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a)
				  Policy. The protection and preservation of certain of the coastal wetlands of
				  this state are essential to the public interest. The General Land Office
				  incorporates by reference the policy statement as set forth in Texas Natural
				  Resources Code §
										33.232.
(b) Scope of rules. These rules set forth the
				  factors which will be considered by the commissioner in selecting and
				  certifying to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department those coastal wetlands
				  which are most essential to the public interest; in assigning priorities for
				  acquisition of such coastal wetlands; and in revoking certification of such
				  coastal wetlands whenever it is in the public interest. These rules also set
				  forth the process which the commissioner will employ in certifying those
				  coastal wetlands which are most essential to the public interest.
(c) Definition. The following definitions are
				  intended to assist the public in understanding the impact and scope of these
				  rules. For the purposes of these rules only:
(1) Commissioner--The commissioner of the
				  General Land Office.
(2) Coastal
				  wetlands--Highly productive coastal natural systems composed of waters,
				  substrate, vegetation, and animal life. Coastal wetlands mean marshes and other
				  areas of high biologic productivity where seawater is present during times
				  other than and in addition to storms or hurricanes as defined by the Beaufort
				  Wind Scale. Coastal wetlands do not, however, include any areas seaward of the
				  line of mean annual low spring tide, nor does it include any mainland area
				  where seawater is present only during storms or hurricanes as defined by the
				  Beaufort Wind Scale.
(3)
				  Marshes--Includes only coastal marshes. Coastal marshes are land areas within
				  coastal wetlands that contain seawater and are characterized by plants that are
				  emergent, rooted, herbaceous hydrophytes. Marshes must include one or more of
				  the following species of vegetation.
(A)
				  Grasses and grass-like plants. (Scientific name--common name.)
(i) Cyperus haspan L.--sheathed
				  flatsedge.
(ii) C. polystachyos
				  Rottb. var. texensis (Torr.) Fern.--umbrella sedge.
(iii) Dichromena colorata (L.) A.S.
				  Hitchc.--starrush whitetop.
(iv)
				  Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene var. spicata--seashore saltgrass.
(v) Eleocharis albida Torr.--white
				  spikesedge.
(vi) E. caribaea
				  (Rottb.) Blake--spikesedge.
(vii)
				  E. interstincta (Vahl) Roemer & Schultes--gulfcoast spikesedge.
(viii) Fimbristylis caroliniana (Lam.)
				  Fern.--fimbry.
(ix) F. Castanea
				  Vahl--fimbry.
(x) F. puberula
				  (Michx.) Vahl var. puberula--fimbry.
(xi) Fuirena squarrosa Michx.--hairy umbrella
				  sedge.
(xii) F. simplex
				  Vahl--western umbrella sedge.
(xiii) Juncus marginatus Rostk.--grassleaf
				  rush.
(xiv) J. Roemerianus
				  Scheele--needlegrass rush.
(xv) J.
				  validus Cov. var. validus--roundhead rush.
(xvi) J. validus Cov. var. fascinatus M.C.
				  Johnst.--roundhead rush.
(xvii)
				  Monanthochloe littoralis Englem.--shoregrass.
(xviii) Parapholis incurva (L.) C.E.
				  Hubb.--sicklesgrass.
(xix) Paspalum
				  vaginatum Swartz--seashore paspalm.
(xx) Phragmites australis (Cav.)
				  Trin.--common reed.
(xxi) Scirpus
				  californicus (C.A. Meyer) Steud.--California bullrush.
(xxii) S. maritimus L. var. macrostachyus
				  Michx.--saltmarsh bullrush.
(xxiii) S. americanus Pers. var.
				  longispicatus Britt.--three-square bullrush.
(xxiv) Spartina alterniflora Loisel. var.
				  alterniflora--smooth cordgrass.
(xxv)S. cynosuroides (L.) Roth--big
				  cordgrass.
(xxvi)S. patens (Ait.)
				  Muhl.--marshay cordgrass.
(xxvii)S. spartinae (Trin.) Hitchc.--gulf
				  cordgrass.
(xxviii) Sporobolus
				  virginicus (L.) Kunth--seashore dropseed.
(xxix) S. pyramidatus (Lam.) Hitchc.--whorled
				  dropseed.
(xxx) Zizaniopsis
				  miliacea (Michx.) Doell and Aschers--marshmillet.
(B) Other marsh plants. (Scientific
				  name--common name.)
(i) Agalinis heterophylla
				  (Nutt.) Small--prairie Agalinis.
(ii) A. maritima Raf. var. grandiflora
				  (Benth.) Shinners--seaside gerardia.
(iii) Amaranthus spinosus L.--spiny
				  amaranth.
(iv) Avicennia germinans
				  (L.) L.--black mangrove.
(v) Batis
				  maritima L.--saltwort.
(vi)
				  Borrichia frutescens (L.) DC.--bushy sea oxeye.
(vii) Cakile fusiformis Greene--sea
				  rocket.
(viii) C. geniculata
				  (Robins.) Millsp.--sea rocket.
(ix) Heliotropium curassavicum L.--salt
				  heliotrope.
(x) Iva frutescens L.
				  var. frutescens--bigleaf sumpweed.
(xi) I. frutescens L. var. oraria (Bartlett)
				  Fern. & Grisc.--bigleaf sumpweed.
(xii) I. angustifolia DC.--sumpweed.
(xiii) Limonium Nashii Small var.
				  Nashii--sea lavendar.
(xiv) L.
				  Nashii Small var. angustatum (Grah) Ahles--sea lavendar.
(xv) Lycium carolinianum (Moc. & Sesse)
				  C.L. Hitchc.--Carolina wolfberry.
(xvi) Machaeranthera phyllocephala (DC.)
				  Shinners--camphor daisy.
(xvii)
				  Philoxerus vermicularis (L.) R. BR.--silverhead.
(xviii) Salicornia Bigelovii
				  Torr.--glasswort.
(xix) S.
				  virginica L.--Virginia glasswort.
(xx) Samolus ebracteatus H.B.K.--water
				  pipernel.
(xxi) Sesuvium erectum
				  Correll--sea purslane.
(xxii) S.
				  maritimum (Walt.) B.S.P.--coast sesuvium.
(xxiii) S. Portulacastrum L.--sea purslane.
(xxiv) S. trianthemoides
				  Correll--sea purslane.
(xxv)
				  Solidago sempervirens L. var. mexicana (L.) Fern.--seaside goldenrod.
(xxvi) Suaeda conferta (Small)
				  I.M. Johnst.--seablite.
(xxvii) S.
				  linearis (Ell.) Moq.--annual seepweed.
(xxviii) Typha angustifolia L.--narrow-leaved
				  cattail.
(xxix) T. dominigensis
				  Pers.--tule.
(4) Mean annual low spring tide--The
				  long-time (18.6 years) average of the lowest spring tide occurring within a
				  year for a given area. Spring tides occur for several days every 14.3 days when
				  the low waters are much lower than usual due to the position of the earth, sun,
				  and moon.
(5) Other areas of high
				  biologic productivity--Areas in coastal wetlands that contain seawater and are
				  adjacent to or within marshes.
(6)
				  Seaward--The direction away from the shore and toward the body of water bounded
				  by such shore.
(7) Seawater--Any
				  water containing a concentration of one-twentieth of 1.0% or more by weight of
				  total dissolved inorganic salts derived from the marine waters of the Gulf of
				  Mexico. Seawater may be present either as freestanding water on the surface of
				  the soil, as ground moisture absorbed by the soil, or as both.