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What is a Wetland?
Inland
Wetlands
Where
are all the Wetlands?
Wetlands
for the Future
People
and Wetlands
Classroom
Activities
Facts
Links
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DELINEATING
WETLANDS
If a wetland
exists on property slated for development, the developer will need
to mark, or delineate, the boundaries of the wetland. To find out
if a wetland has already been surveyed and designated as wetlands,
a developer would contact the district office of the Corps. If the
area is not yet surveyed, the developer must hire wetlands experts.
They might begin by looking at aerial photographs or soil maps of
the area. Then they visit the site one or more times to evaluate
the soils, plants, and hydrology.
The timing of
those inspections can be critical. In agricultural areas, many evaluators
visit during the growing season because that's when farmers would
be most likely to disrupt a wetland. However, many wetlands, such
as the bottomlands of southeastern forests, are wettest during the
winter.
The delineation
process should produce:
- Maps showing
the size, location, shape, names of features.
- Data sheets
listing soil, vegetation, and hydrology indicators.
- Vicinity
map that identifies the study area.
- Narrative
report describing the above information.
Check out Idaho's
Digital Soil Survey from the National Resource
Conservation Service.
Now
you know how scientists mark wetlands -
Learn about the all the different types of
Wetlands!
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