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30 <br /> 1315 Beth Trahos: It could be, and those environmental features could be incorporated into individual lots, but then <br /> 1316 they would be subject to the whims of the homeowner, right? Who folks aren't necessarily familiar <br /> 1317 with the buffer requirements,wetlands requirements, and, so, the idea that these things are <br /> 1318 captured in a common, open space where they can be maintained by a homeowners association <br /> 1319 that has knowledge as to those things creates a better stewardship of those lots than putting them <br /> 1320 in someone's back yard, and they can use them as though they were a part of their yard, like,they <br /> 1321 use every other part without recognizing the significance of the features there. <br /> 1322 <br /> 1323 Beth Bronson: And the HOA could not build anything,they wouldn't be able to have any structures,they wouldn't <br /> 1324 make the community gathering space proposed would be outside of that obviously. <br /> 1325 <br /> 1326 Beth Trahos: Not within the environmental features, correct. Yes. <br /> 1327 <br /> 1328 Ward Marotti: I'd just like to add,though, that while that's the case,the landowners,while that may be the case <br /> 1329 on paper and legally,without having knowledge of that, the enforcement of that has potential to be <br /> 1330 retroactive in that if landowners are not aware of those restrictions and move forward completely, <br /> 1331 not on purpose or with any mal intent, but the retroactive fixing of those violations is much more <br /> 1332 difficult than the selective management of that same space. <br /> 1333 <br /> 1334 Beth Bronson: I was just pointing out that all of this preserved area is literally wetland. <br /> 1335 <br /> 1336 Beth Trahos: Not all of it, but a good bit. <br /> 1337 <br /> 1338 Beth Bronson: A good bit, yes.And is this correct, in the boring, that they were hitting water at like 2 feet, 3 feet, <br /> 1339 or more than 5 feet? Is that how to interpret that environmental assessment? <br /> 1340 <br /> 1341 Ward Marotti: By definition,waters in the United States have connection to groundwater within the top foot, at <br /> 1342 least for part of the year. There's three components in a wetland. Hydrology, vegetation, and <br /> 1343 soils. In the hydrology component,there are different parameters that define or that document <br /> 1344 that there is the presence of ground water within the top foot for at least a portion of the year. So, <br /> 1345 the wetlands have water in the top foot for part of the year. <br /> 1346 <br /> 1347 Beth Bronson: And so, in these boring locations in the environmental assessment,where it says depth to water <br /> 1348 surface from soil surface, is that what you're referring to? <br /> 1349 <br /> 1350 Ward Marotti: Correct. <br /> 1351 <br /> 1352 Beth Bronson: Okay, and so it's not like you dig 5 feet down and there's a puddle. <br /> 1353 <br /> 1354 Ward Marotti: Right. There are secondary indicators of hydrologic presence in the top foot. It doesn't have to be <br /> 1355 standing water within the hole, although they were left, I believe,for 24 hours to set before the <br /> 1356 analysis of the connectivity or the depth to the actual standing water in the test pit was there, but <br /> 1357 there's also secondary indicators of hydrology higher up than just standing water. Secondary <br /> 1358 indicators meaning soil color. <br /> 1359 <br /> 1360 Beth Bronson: Moisture content. <br /> 1361 <br /> 1362 Ward Marotti: I'm sorry? <br /> 1363 <br /> 1364 Beth Bronson: Moisture content? <br /> 1365 <br /> 1366 Next Speaker: Yeah, moisture content as well as root oxidization of live root paths,and there's quite a few <br /> 1367 different secondary indicators of surface hydrology. <br /> 1368 <br />