How Can This Be a Wetland When There Is No Water Here?

We frequently receive calls from landowners or those purchasing land who have been told by city or county staff that a wetland assessment or delineation must be done on the property before any building or development can occur.  If streams or soggy ground are present on the land parcel this requirement seems reasonable.  But – if the property looks dry – a wetland assessment or delineation might seem like just one more regulatory hoop to jump through.  A question we often hear is, “How can this be a wetland when there is no water here?”

One of our earlier blog posts described how wetlands function to regulate stormwater runoff, improve water quality, recharge groundwater, protect coastlines, and provide valuable habitat and food supplies for fish, amphibians, birds and mammals.  Wetlands are an important and integral part of the natural environment and of the water quality cycle; that is why there are laws in place at the local, state, and federal level to protect wetlands.  These laws regulate the types and extent of land use and development near wetlands, shorelines, and streams.  Violations of these laws can lead to severe penalties, including fines and imprisonment.  The presence of a wetland, stream, or shoreline on a parcel will affect not only how the land can be developed, but if it can even be developed at all.  Because of these regulations, it’s important to determine wetland presence on a site before development begins.

All these factors must be considered when determining whether an area is or is not wetland.  Let’s take another look at that large puddle:  There is standing water in a depression in a relatively level area.  The water appears to come from precipitation, the vegetation that is present appears to be lawn grass, the soil appears to be sandy, and no amphibians, fish, or wildlife seem to be using the puddle as their habitat.  Initial appearances can be deceiving, so a wetland scientist will investigate that puddle in greater detail.  Does the lawn grass also contain any hydrophytic grass species and perhaps other herbaceous plants that may go unnoticed by the casual observer?  A wetland scientist will dig data pits to evaluate soil composition and determine whether groundwater is present and how persistent it is.  They will analyze the location of the feature and the topography of the area to make a determination about whether a wet area is indeed a wetland and what type of a wetland it is.

Rather than make what may be an incorrect assumption about an area, a professional wetland scientist has the expertise and knowledge to accurately determine the wetland status of mapped and unmapped wet areas. This helps preserve critical wetland areas and can keep landowners and prospective developers out of trouble.