Wetland Delineation, Mitigation, Restoration & Enhancement

United States Wetlands

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) both formally define wetlands in the U.S. as follows:
 

"Those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions.  Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas."

Wetlands are areas that are covered by water or have waterlogged soils for long periods during the growing season.  Plants growing in wetlands are capable of living in saturated soil conditions for at least part of the growing season.  Wetlands such as swamps and marshes are often obvious, but some wetlands are not easily recognized, often because they are dry during part of the year or "they just don't look very wet" from the roadside.  Some of these wetland types include, but are not limited to, many bottomland forests, pocosins, pine savannahs, bogs, wet meadows, potholes, and wet tundra.  Note: Openwater habitats are not considered wetlands under this formal classification - there must be emergent vegetation present.

The information presented here will usually enable you to determine whether you might have a wetland...

 
• Recognizing Wetlands: An Informational Pamphlet from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Wetland Delineation and Classification (Federal)

• USFWS' National Wetlands Inventory
 
Don't know if you have wetlands on your project?  The National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) is a good place to start.  NWI digital wetlands data are digitized and distributed by 7.5 minute quadrangle (where 1" equals approximately 2,000 feet on the ground, and each hardcopy of the quadrangle (or "quad") is approximately 22" x 27" in size) in ESRI's Arc/Info format (ARC) here and in Digital Line Graph Level 3 (DLG3) here (and here is some more information regarding NWI digital files).  On the respective NWI server (ARC or DLG3), the data files for a specific quad are stored in a directory named by the 1:250,000 scale map unit in which the quad is located.  For example, the Clearwater, FL quad is located in the Saint Petersburg 1:250,000 scale map unit.  The digital data for the Clearwater quad are stored in the saint_petersburg directory.  If you don't know the name of the 1:250,000 scale map unit for your area of interest, you should refer to the "USGS Index to Topographic and Other Map Coverage."  For each State in the United States of America, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) publishes an Index to Topographic and Other Map Coverage and State Catalogs of Topographic and other Published Maps (all scales).  To obtain a free hardcopy index and catalog for one or more of the States, you can contact any USGS Earth Science Information Center, or you call (toll-free in the U.S.) 1-888-ASK-USGS.  If all you need is the name of the quad(s) that you are looking to obtain NWI data for, then you can search for the name(s) on the Internet using the USGS' Global Land Information System (GLIS).

NWI digital data can be used with Arc/Info's ArcView 3.0 software, however, the DLG3 files must first be converted to Arc/Info coverages.  If you only have ArcView, and not Arc/Info, then you can contact the NWI's Think Tank personnel (Kurt Snider by phone at 813.570.5405, or by email kurt@wetlands.nwi.fws.gov) for further assistance.

Note:  The NWI maps ARE NOT to be considered as jurisdictional delineations, as required under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act for regulatory permitting purposes, since they are based on the presence of any one of the three parameters that are used to formally delineate a wetland (vegetation, soils, or hydrology), which requires evidence of all three to be present. They also have NOT been field truthed.  For regulatory purposes, see the next set of links below.
 

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Wetlands Research Program (WRP)
• Hydrogeomorphic (HGM) Approach for Assessing Wetland Function
• Related Reading on HGM
• HGM Approach--Data Analysis and Archive

The following files are in .PDF format -  the Adobe Acrobat Reader is required for viewing

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' 1987 Wetland Delineation Manual (Y-87-1) (Note: Appendix C information is outdated and must be obtained from region-specific U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Regulatory offices).  This is the manual used to formally delineate wetlands under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (with regional modifications - consult your USACE District office for details).  Not sure which USACE District you're in?
• USACE Regulatory Program
• USACE District Boundary Map (Besides Regulatory, this site also has Civil Works and Military Boundaries)
• USACE District Contact Information
• Hydrogeomorphic Classification of Wetlands The hydrogeomorphic classification of wetlands is intended to lay a foundation for and support ongoing efforts to develop methods for assessing the physical, chemical, and biological functions of wetlands. (WRP-DE-4)
• An Approach for Assessing Wetland Functions Using Hydrogeomorphic Classification, Reference Wetlands, and Functional Indices The approach includes a development and an application phase. The assessment procedure, as the final product, can be used to compare project alternatives, determine impacts, calculate mitigation

requirements, etc.  (WRP-DE-9)
• National Guidebooks are intended as general reviews of concepts and literature, and as templates for development of Regional Guidebooks
• Guidebook for Application of Hydrogeomorphic Assessments to Riverine Wetlands (WRP-DE-11)
• Guidebook for Application of Hydrogeomorphic Assessments to Tidal Fringe Wetlands (WRP-DE-16)
• National Action Plan To Implement the Hydrogeomorphic Approach To Assessing Wetland Functions
Federal Register dtd June 20, 1997 - Volume 62, Number 119, Pages 33607-33620 (Mirror site in HTML format here)
• Training Available Through WES Environmental Laboratory (Available through the Corps' PROSPECT Program)
• Final Notice of Issuance, Re-issuance, and Modification of Nationwide Permits - Effective as of February 11, 1997 (PDF Version)
• 1999 Proposal to Issue and Modify Nationwide Permits - Proposed changes (Federal Register, 21 July 1999) in PDF format.
• Environmental Assessment, 401(b)(1) Compliance Review, and Statement of Findings for selected Nationwide Permits (NWP)
• Cowadin's "Classification of Wetlands & Deepwater Habitats"
• System for Mapping Riparian Areas in the Western United States
• Recognizing Wetlands - A Brochure from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• USGS National Water Summary on Wetland Resources
• Wetland Delineator Certification - Current Status

Wetland Delineation and Classification (State)

• Florida Wetland Delineation Manual
• California Wetlands Information System
• Procedural Guidance for Evaluating Wetland Mitigation Projects (California Coastal Zone)

Wetland Functions & Values

• Wetland Procedures - An extensive list of the various wetland evaluation techniques available
• Hydrogeomorphic Approach to Assessing Wetland Functions
• National Plan to Implement the Hydrogeomorphic Approach to Assessing Wetland Functions
• Wetland Functions & Values - A Report by the National Science Foundation, 1995
• Consequences of Losing or Degrading Wetlands

Habitat Modeling

• USFWS Habitat Evaluation Procedures (HEP)
• USFWS Habitat Suitability Indices (HSI)
Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) Models for Selected Fish and Wildlife Species - All of the publications described here can be borrowed from any Government Depository Library. Contact your nearest public or academic library for information on depository libraries in your area, or to request items through Interlibrary Loan.  (How to order)
• Instream Flow Incremental Methodology (IFIM)
• Instream Flow Incremental Methodology: A primer for IFIM

Mitigation Banking

• National Wetland Mitigation Banking Study - The primary goal of the study was to evaluate the feasibility and appropriateness of wetland mitigation banks.
• Federal Guidance for the Establishment, Use and Operation of Mitigation Banks
• Wetland Banking - Wetland Banking, Inc.
• Engineering Specification Guidelines for Wetland Plant Establishment and Subgrade Preparation
• Federal Guidance for the Establishment, Use and Operation of Mitigation Banks
Federal Register dtd November 28, 1995 - Volume 60, Number 228, Pages 58605-58614  (Mirror copy in HTML format is here)

Restoration/Management

• Stream Corridor Restoration Handbook
• Instructor's Guide Eastern - Forested Wetland & Streamside Forest Management
• Setting the Stage for Salt Marsh Restoration in Narragansett Bay
• USEPA's Wetlands Silviculture Site Preparation Guidance & Resolution of Silviculture Issues

Watersheds and Water Resources

• USACE's Institute for Water Resources (IWR)
USACE's Water Supply Planning Handbook - The Handbook is a desk reference for just about everything related to water supply and the Corps. It is meant to be used within the Corps, by academia and by non-Federal entities interested in water supply planning and management.
• Watershed Information Resource System Database
• USGS Digital Hydrologic Data
• USGS Hydrologic Units
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Data
• Universities Water Information Network, funded by USGS & supported by Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
• Center for Coastal and Land-Margin Research

Vegetation

• 1996 National List of Vascular Plant Species that Occur in Wetlands
• 1988 National List of Plant Species that Occur in Wetlands
• National Plants Database
• Center for Aquatic Plants - University of Florida
• Internet Directory for Botany

Mangroves

• Lewis Environmental Services, Inc. - information about mangrove planting.
• The Mangrove Action Project - MAP focuses on the ecological and societal values of mangroves, and includes weekly news on mangroves from around the  world.

Soils

• Compendium of On-Line Soil Survey Information - The Netherlands
• Hydric Soils of the United States - USDA - NRCS Soil Survey Division
• Field Indicators of Hydric Soils in the U.S.
• National Soil Data Access Facility (NSDAF) Project
• Keys to Soil Taxonomy
• USDA-NRCS National MUIR Database
• National Soil Survey Center
• National Soil Survey Handbook
• USDA-NRCS Official Soil Series Descriptions
• USDA-NRCS Soil Series Classification
• NRCS-Soil Survey Division
• USDA-NRCS Revisions to the Soil Taxonomy Handbook
• NSDAF - Field Indicators of Hydric Soils
• USDA-NRCS Hydric Soils of the United States

Miscellaneous Resources (International)

• Asian Wetland Inventory (AWI) - An inventory of Asian Wetlands
• Wetlands International - Asia Pacific - Wetlands International seeks to "sustain and restore wetlands, their resources and biodiversity for future generations through research, information exchange and conservation activities."
• Wetlands International - Excellent assembly of links of Importance
• The Australian Institute of Marine Science - AIMS describes research occurring along the coastal environments of Australia, including research along the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).
• SERP - The Southeast Environmental Research Program website describes research in Southern Florida, including a number of projects in the Florida Everglades.
• National Wetlands Research Center Home Page
• Canada and the Ramsar Convention
• National Estuarine Research Reserves Systems (NERRS)
• Estuary-Net Project
• USFWS National Wetland Classification System
• The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
• Text of the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat
• Ramsar Wetlands - Criteria for Listing in the U.S.
• Profiles of the Ramsar Wetlands in the U.S. (or view the MAP)
• Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Comments, suggestions and constructive criticisms are always welcome. If you know of a wetland science-related site that you think others should be aware of, please send us the URL and we'll review it. If it fits with the intent of this page, we'll immediately add it to our page. Likewise, if you note any errors or lost links, let us know that too, and we'll either fix or delete them as well.
You can reach the Physalia Ocean Sciences' WebMaster at: Webmaster@PhysaliaOS.com