Vol. 23, No. 7 September 10, 2015

      In This Issue:
      WSSI's Maryland Office Expands to New Location
      The 2015 Building Green with Concrete Workshop
      WSSI Sponsors Root Appreciation Day Workshop
      WSSI Spotlight: Experience Creating Value!
      Maryland's In Lieu Fee Program: Moving Foward!
      New Cultural Resources Review Protocol (and Fee!) in Charles County, MD
      Wood Turtle Surveys are Needed Now
      New Executive Order May Affect Stormwater Regs for Federal Facilities
      Young Scholars Visit WSSI

WSSI's Maryland Office Expands to New Location

Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. (WSSI) has moved to a new larger office space within the I-97 Business Park in Millersville, Maryland. Since opening a Maryland office in December 2014 we have added several staff in that location to better support the needs of our clients, therefore a larger office space was necessary to accommodate our growth.

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The 2015 Building Green with Concrete Workshop

The Northern Virginia Concrete Advisory Council (NVCAC) and WSSI will host The 2015 Annual Building Green with Concrete Workshop at WSSI's Gainesville office on October 21, 2015. This all-day event provides a great opportunity to learn about the latest in sustainable concrete design technologies, as well as the opportunity to network with industry leaders.

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WSSI Sponsors Root Appreciation Day Workshop

Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc., in cooperation with Prince William County Department of Public Works, is sponsoring a Root Appreciation Day Workshop on Friday, September 11, 2015. Local plan reviewers, landscape architects, arborists, engineers, planners and land managers – those working with trees in the landscape – are invited to join us for this event at the Prince William County Government Center. The Root Appreciation Day Workshop is part of the NOVA Urban Forestry Roundtable.

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WSSI Spotlight: Experience Creating Value!

WSSI recently created a 50% increase in Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for the landowner of an industrial site near Dulles Airport. A potential buyer had planned to develop 340,000 square feet of warehouse and flex/office space on the site, but was advised (by others) that the 3+ acres of wetland impacts would be impossible to permit and that wetland impacts had to be reduced, so only 230,000 square feet could be developed. Instead of accepting this assessment of the property’s development capacity and reduced land value, the landowner’s land use attorney brought WSSI into the project.

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Maryland's In Lieu Fee Program: Moving Foward!

When states lack viable in lieu fee (ILF) and mitigation banking programs, we see that their wetland permit processes take twice as long compared to the states where those programs are functional. Maryland has been without a federally approved ILF since 2013 – and the impact has been considerable. Several members of the Maryland Building Industry Association, including Mike Klebasko of Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. (WSSI), met with representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District (Corps) on June 10, 2015 to discuss the current state of the Maryland Wetland Mitigation In Lieu Fee Program. A focused effort to re-establish the ILF program could get Maryland back on track with permitting, and thereby improve Maryland’s business climate. The great news is that MDE filed a prospectus for a new ILF with approval from the Corps on August 5, 2015, and it was public noticed today. Comments are due October 9, 2015. Now, all stakeholders need to push for a prompt approval of MDE’s proposal.

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New Cultural Resources Review Protocol (and Fee!) in Charles County, Maryland

Charles County, Maryland recently outsourced archeology services to implement long-standing cultural resource review requirements. Now, any proposed land development project will be charged a Cultural Resources Review fee ranging from $45 to $450. The fee was established on July 1, 2015 and offsets the cost of the contractor’s review of potential impacts to archeological and historic resources.

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Wood Turtle Surveys are Needed Now

If you are planning to develop property in Northern Virginia that has a clear, moderate to fast-flowing perennial stream and a relatively undisturbed floodplain, you may need a survey for the wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) this winter - or your wetlands permitting may be delayed up to a year!

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New Executive Order May Affect Stormwater Regs for Federal Facilities

Confusion over stormwater requirements for federal facilities has been answered. All federal agencies engaging in development must infiltrate, evaporate/transpire, or re-use stormwater runoff generated by the 95th percentile storm. In March, Executive Order (E.O.) 13514 was revoked with publication of E.O. 13693 - Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade. This new E.O. leaves in limbo numeric federal stormwater guidance originally associated with E.O 13514 because it only says “improve … stormwater management by: … installing appropriate green infrastructure features on federally owned property to help with stormwater …”

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Young Scholars Visit WSSI

Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. (WSSI) welcomed a group of Franklin Middle School Young Scholars and their teachers on Wednesday, July 29th. Young Scholars students are rising 7th graders who spend their summer studying a JASON project. JASON is a non-profit organization that aims to help students get excited about and interested in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This year’s Young Scholars’ project is “Resilient Planet” and explores environmental topics such as ecosystems and conservation. These areas of science closely link with the work done here at WSSI.

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About Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. (WSSI):

WSSI is the leading provider of natural and cultural resource consulting services in the Mid-Atlantic. The firm has worked on a total of over 5,000 projects, comprising 220,000 acres, and has created hundreds of acres of wetlands and restored miles of streams. Our team of 100 engineers, scientists, archeologists, ecosystem technicians, GIS/survey/compliance and technology/training specialists, and administrative staff yield a unique combination of disciplines focused on wetlands and water resources and provide creative solutions for integrating the constraints of economics and land plan requirements with local, state, and federal environmental regulations. For more information about WSSI, visit our Web site at www.wetlandstudies.com.