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
Universal Citation: 31 TX Admin Code § 15.51
Current through Reg. 49, No. 52; December 27, 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.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Texas may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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