(a) in high energy environments where the action of waves or currents is sufficient to prevent vegetation establishment below mean higher high tide, the ordinary high water mark is coincident with the line of vegetation. Where there is no vegetative cover for less than one hundred feet parallel to the shoreline, the ordinary high water mark is the average tidal elevation of the adjacent lines of vegetation. Where the ordinary high water mark cannot be found, it is the elevation of mean higher high tide.

(b) in low energy saltwater environments where the action of waves and currents is not sufficient to prevent vegetation establishment below mean higher high tide, the ordinary high water mark is coincident with the landward limit of hydrophytic salt tolerant vegetation. "Salt tolerant vegetation" means vegetation which is tolerant of interstitial soil salinities greater than or equal to 0.5 parts per thousand (ppt);

(c) In low energy freshwater environments where the action of the water is not sufficient to prevent vegetation establishment below the mean higher high tide, use the mean higher high tide elevation or one or more the following indicators: landward limits of drift logs or other drift deposits, presence of hydrophytic plants, presence of hydric soils, soil surface changes from algae, or sediment deposition areas to areas where the soils show no sign of depositional processes from water;