CONCORD, Mass. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as part of an interagency effort with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, is announcing the availability of the final 2018 National Wetland Plant List (NWPL). The Federal Register Notice for the 2018 NWPL update was posted on May 18, 2020 and can be found at: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-05-18/pdf/2020-10630.pdf.

The NWPL provides plant species indicator status ratings, which are used in determining whether the hydrophytic vegetation factor is met when conducting wetland delineations under the Clean Water Act. The list is effective as of May 18, 2020 and will be used in any wetland delineations performed after this date. Delineations completed prior to this date may still use the 2016 NWPL. The final NWPL is available at http://wetland-plants.usace.army.mil/. State, regional, and national lists can also be downloaded from this site.

For the 2018 NWPL update, the NWPL National Panel and Regional Panels reviewed proposed wetland rating changes or additions for 20 species and 37 regional ratings (some species were reviewed for multiple regions) submitted by the general public. Eight of these species were proposed for addition to the NWPL, and 12 species were submitted for a rating change request in one or more regions. Three species were removed from this update. Bassia hyssopifolia and Pycnanthemum muticum were removed because in both cases, the requested indicator for the requested region, FACU in the Arid West and FAC in the Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, respectively, was already the existing indicator on the 2016 NWPL. Pleopeltis polypodioides is an epiphyte and upon additional review of its epiphytic nature and the position of epiphytes on the NWPL, it was determined that it should be removed from the NWPL.

More information regarding changes to the 2018 Final NWPL can be found on the chart listed in the public notice on the Corps website at https://www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/PublicNotices/ or located at the NWPL website (http://wetland-plants.usace.army.mil/).

The 2020 NWPL update is currently being developed and recommendations on species and occurrences are being accepted through the NWPL website. For technical questions about the 2018 update, please contact the Interim Director of the NWPL, Paul Minkin, at NWPL@usace.army.mil.