As used in this section and sections 6111.021 to 6111.028 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Category 1 wetland," "category 2 wetland," or "category 3 wetland" means a category 1 wetland, category 2 wetland, or category 3 wetland, respectively, as described in rule 3745-1-54 of the Administrative Code, as that rule existed on July 17, 2001, and as determined to be a category 1, category 2, or category 3 wetland, respectively, through application of the "Ohio rapid assessment method for wetlands version 5.0," including the Ohio rapid assessment method for wetlands version 5.0 quantitative score calibration dated August 15, 2000, unless an application for a section 401 water quality certification was submitted prior to February 28, 2001, in which case the applicant for the permit may elect to proceed in accordance with Ohio rapid assessment method for wetlands version 4.1.

(B) "Creation" means the establishment of a wetland where one did not formerly exist and that involves wetland construction on nonhydric soils.

(C) "Enhancement" means activities conducted in an existing wetland to improve or repair existing or natural wetland functions and values of that wetland.

(D) "Fill material" means any material that is used to fill an aquatic area, to replace an aquatic area with dry land, or to change the bottom elevation of a wetland for any purpose and that consists of suitable material that is free from toxic contaminants in other than trace quantities. "Fill material" does not include either of the following:

(1) Material resulting from normal farming, silviculture, and ranching activities, such as plowing, cultivating, seeding, and harvesting, for the production of food, fiber, and forest products;

(2) Material placed for the purpose of maintenance of existing structures, including emergency reconstruction of recently damaged parts of currently serviceable structures such as dikes, dams, levees, groins, riprap, breakwaters, causeways, and bridge abutments or approaches, and transportation structures.

(E) "Filling" means the addition of fill material into a wetland for the purpose of creating upland, changing the bottom elevation of the wetland, or creating impoundments of water. "Filling" includes, without limitation, the placement of the following in wetlands: fill material that is necessary for the construction of any structure; structures or impoundments requiring rock, sand, dirt, or other material for its construction; site-development fills for recreational, industrial, commercial, residential, or other uses; causeways or road fills; dams and dikes; artificial islands, property protection, or reclamation devices such as riprap, groins, seawalls, breakwalls, and bulkheads and fills; beach nourishment; levees; sanitary landfills; fill material for structures such as sewage treatment facilities, intake and outfall pipes associated with power plants, and underwater utility lines; and artificial reefs.

(F) "Isolated wetland" means a wetland that is not subject to regulation under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.

(G) "Mitigation" means the restoration, creation, enhancement, or, in exceptional circumstances, preservation of wetlands expressly for the purpose of compensating for wetland impacts.

(H) "Mitigation bank service area" means the designated area where a mitigation bank can reasonably be expected to provide appropriate compensation for impacts to wetlands and other aquatic resources and that is designated as such in accordance with the process established in 33 C.F.R. 332.8 and 40 C.F.R. 230.98.

(I) "Off-site mitigation" means wetland restoration, creation, enhancement, or preservation occurring farther than one mile from a project boundary, but within the same watershed.

(J) "On-site mitigation" means wetland restoration, creation, enhancement, or preservation occurring within and not more than one mile from the project boundary and within the same watershed.

(K) "Practicable" means available and capable of being executed with existing technology and without significant adverse effect on the economic feasibility of the project in light of the overall project purposes and in consideration of the relative environmental benefit.

(L) "Preservation" means the long-term protection of ecologically important wetlands through the implementation of appropriate legal mechanisms to prevent harm to the wetlands. "Preservation" may include protection of adjacent upland areas as necessary to ensure protection of a wetland.

(M) "Restoration" means the reestablishment of a previously existing wetland at a site where it has ceased to exist.

(N) "State isolated wetland permit" means a permit issued in accordance with sections 6111.02 to 6111.027 of the Revised Code authorizing the filling of an isolated wetland.

(O) "Watershed" means an eight-digit hydrologic unit.

(P) "Wetlands" means those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration that are sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. "Wetlands" includes swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas that are delineated in accordance with the 1987 United States army corps of engineers wetland delineation manual and any other procedures and requirements adopted by the United States army corps of engineers for delineating wetlands.

(Q) "Wetland mitigation bank" means a site where wetlands have been restored, created, enhanced, or, in exceptional circumstances, preserved expressly for the purpose of providing mitigation for impacts to wetlands and that has been approved in accordance with the process established in 33 C.F.R. 332.8 and 40 C.F.R. 230.98.

(R) "Eight-digit hydrologic unit" means a common surface drainage area corresponding to one from the list of thirty-seven adapted from the forty-four cataloging units as depicted on the hydrologic unit map of Ohio, United States geological survey, 1988, and as described in division (F)(2) of rule 3745-1-54 of the Administrative Code or as otherwise shown on map number 1 found in rule 3745-1-54 of the Administrative Code. "Eight-digit hydrologic unit" is limited to those parts of the cataloging units that geographically lie within the borders of this state.

(S) "In-lieu fee mitigation" means a payment made by an applicant to satisfy a wetland mitigation requirement established in sections 6111.02 to 6111.027 of the Revised Code.

Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 64, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2015.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.115, SB 294, §1, eff. 9/5/2012.

Effective Date: 07-17-2001 .