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370:(1995), U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2499, p. 260, stating: Documentation of notable coastal floods provides scientists and flood-plain managers with useful data and technical information for an improved understanding of the hazard and for improved management of flood-prone areas. Of particular importance is documentation of the duration of flooding (and rates of rise and recession of floodwaters), maximum flood elevations and depths, and delineation of the extent of storm-surge flooding.
117:, but high water marks may reflect an all-time high, an annual high (highest level to which water rose that year) or the high point for some other division of time. Knowledge of the high water mark for an area is useful in managing the development of that area, particularly in making preparations for flood surges. High water marks from floods have been measured for planning purposes since at least as far back as the civilizations of ancient
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indicated by physical characteristics such as a clear, natural line impressed on the bank, shelving, changes in the character of soil, destruction of terrestrial vegetation, the presence of litter and debris, or other appropriate means that consider the characteristics of the surrounding areas. For the purposes of
Section 404 of the
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gives
Congress the authority to legislate for waterways, and the high water mark is used to determine the geographic extent of that authority. Federal regulations (33 CFR 328.3(e)) define the "ordinary high water mark" (OHWM) as "that line on the shore established by the fluctuations of water and
121:. It is a common practice to create a physical marker indicating one or more of the highest water marks for an area, usually with a line at the level to which the water rose, and a notation of the date on which this high water mark was set. This may be a free-standing flood level
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A high water mark is not necessarily an actual physical mark, but it is possible for water rising to a high point to leave a lasting physical impression such as floodwater staining. A landscape marking left by the high water mark of ordinary tidal action may be called a
298:, and other federal agencies to determine the geographical extent of their regulatory programs. Likewise, many states use similar definitions of the OHWM for the purposes of their own regulatory programs.
259:, the high water mark that can be expected to be produced by a body of water in non-flood conditions. The ordinary high water mark may have legal significance and is often being used to demarcate
266:. The ordinary high water mark has also been used for other legal demarcations. For example, a 1651 analysis of laws passed by the English Parliament notes that for persons granted the title
366:
J. Curtis Weaver and Thomas J. Zembrzuski, Jr., "August 31, 1993, Storm Surge and Flood of
Hurricane Emily on Hatteras Island, North Carolina", in Charles A. Perry, L. J. Combs,
286:, the OHWM defines the lateral limits of federal jurisdiction over non-tidal water bodies in the absence of adjacent wetlands. For the purposes of Sections 9 and 10 of the
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In 2016, the Court of
Appeals of Indiana ruled that land below the OHWM (as defined by common law) along Lake Michigan is held by the state in trust for public use.
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or other marker, or it may be affixed to a building or other structure that was standing at the time of the flood that set the mark.
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290:, the OHWM defines the lateral limits of federal jurisdiction over traditional navigable waters of the US. The OHWM is used by the
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The
Continuation of an Historicall Discourse, of the Government of England until the end of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth
105:) floods on August 13, 1547 (left) and November 3, 1844 (metal plate on the right). Photographed in Via delle Casine.
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is a point that represents the maximum rise of a body of water over land. Such a mark is often the result of a
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Water
Boundaries: Demystifying Land Boundaries Adjacent to Tidal Or Navigable Waters
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Water
Boundaries: Demystifying Land Boundaries Adjacent to Tidal Or Navigable Waters
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and is typically composed of debris left by high tide. The area at the top of a
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are abundant in the rotting seaweed, and these invertebrates provide food for
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573:, Court of Appeals of Indiana, Opinion 46A03-1508-PL-1116, December 7, 2016"
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Summary of floods in the United States, January 1992 through
September 1993
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This article is about the height of water over land. For other uses, see
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571:
Gunderson v. State of
Indiana, Indiana Department of Natural Resources
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The Water
Dictionary: A Comprehensive Reference of Water Terminology
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is deposited is an example of this phenomenon. Where there are
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Sign indicating high water marks of different floods in
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26:"tide mark" redirects here. For the company, see
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520:"Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR)"
524:Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR)
296:United States Environmental Protection Agency
538:"USACE 2005 OHWM Regulatory Guidance Letter"
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149:. The debris is chiefly composed of
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251:One kind of high water mark is the
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428:. Durham Biodiversity Partnership.
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392:Nancy McTigue, James M. Symons,
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21:High water mark (disambiguation)
16:Highest level of a body of water
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176:The strandline is an important
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288:Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899
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268:Admiral of the English Seas
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279:United States Constitution
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253:ordinary high water mark
81:High water mark sign in
381:Thinking, Fast and Slow
344:, benches left by lakes
257:average high water mark
172:Ecological significance
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337:Measuring storm surge
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97:High water marks of
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480:The Heritage Coast
247:Legal significance
184:. In parts of the
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49:The strandline at
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636:Vertical position
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379:Daniel Kahneman,
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195:Talitrus saltator
180:for a variety of
147:fortnightly cycle
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332:Mean high water
319:Wetlands portal
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509:(1651), p. 44.
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348:Wash margin
327:Chart datum
229:brown hares
209:shore birds
200:seaweed fly
190:sandhoppers
83:Bisset Park
595:Categories
554:2012-10-10
354:References
264:boundaries
213:rock pipit
168:outflows.
131:strandline
611:Hydrology
601:Surveying
217:turnstone
631:Wetlands
305:See also
261:property
227:such as
198:and the
192:such as
103:Florence
87:Virginia
39:Missouri
28:Tidemark
606:Beaches
273:In the
225:mammals
182:animals
178:habitat
154:seaweed
151:rotting
101:river (
71:Montana
626:Rivers
294:, the
223:, and
166:sewage
158:litter
139:debris
137:where
89:, U.S.
73:, U.S.
55:Dorset
41:, U.S.
616:Lakes
576:(PDF)
548:(PDF)
541:(PDF)
457:(PDF)
446:(PDF)
426:(PDF)
237:voles
233:foxes
162:ships
143:tides
135:beach
119:Egypt
115:flood
241:mice
239:and
219:and
123:sign
99:Arno
57:, UK
255:or
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