FAQs on Wetlands
What are Wetlands?
Wetlands are areas of saturated soil which may flood or pond (especially in winter), and support specific plants and animals that can live only in wetlands.
Why are natural wetlands beneficial?
They provide a variety of ecological, social, and aesthetic benefits such as:
- Protecting water quality by removing nutrients and chemical contaminants
- Controlling flood waters Serving as essential plant, fish, and wildlife habitats
- Recharging ground and surface waters
- Providing open space and recreational opportunities
What is wetland restoration?
Restoration means reclaiming a degraded wetland to re-establish functions that have been lost by filling or draining. Wetland restoration is the preferred form of impact mitigation because it typically has the greatest chance of successfully establishing natural wetland functions and improving water quality.
What is wetland creation?
Creation means constructing a new wetland, usually by flooding or excavating lands that were not previously occupied by a wetland. This is a difficult task that is generally not as successful as restoring or preserving a wetland.
Why are wetlands being restored and created?
As a means of mitigating wetland losses and meeting the goal of "no net loss" of wetlands. It is hoped that these practices can offset the annual loss of natural wetlands sue to development activities.
What kinds of plants are used in wetland creation and treatment of nonpoint source pollution?
- Cattails Reeds
- Arrowhead
- Rushes
- Sedges
- Bulrushes
- Cordgrass
- Burreed
- Trees (e.g. maples, ashes, elms)
- Woody shrubs (e.g. dogwoods, spicebush, sweet pepperbush)
How do wetlands help improve water quality?
- Pollutants entering natural wetlands are treated by a variety of physical, chemical and biological processes. The following processes filter out pollutants before they reach other waterbodies:
- Settling of sediment and pollutants w Breakdown of pollutants into harmless substances
- Plant uptake
