Benefits of Wetlands - Trinity Waters

National Association of Counties • Community ServicesBenefitsofWetlands“In the late 1980s, when we realized our wetlands and water resources were threatenedby the pace of development, our Board rose to the challenge of maintaining our quality oflife. Before the County’s Watershed Development Ordinance was proposed, we launcheda public education effort on the critical functions and values of wetlands so citizens wouldunderstand how the investment of government dollars today would have lasting value forfuture generations.”– Commissioner Pam NewtonLake County Board Memberand Chair of the NACo Environment,Energy and Land Use Steering CommitteeIn this brochure: What Are Wetlands? • Benefits: Economic, Public Health and Safety, Recreation and Education,and Wildlife and Habitat • Types of Wetlands • Water Related Resources •

etlands ... the link between land and waterWhat Are Wetlands?A wetland – whether it is called a swamp, marsh,fen or bottomland hardwood - is a unique placeserving as the link between land and water.Wetlands provide a wide range of ecological,economic, public safety and social benefits to communities.They produce harvestable products andprovide recreation and education opportunities. Inaddition, wetlands are habitat for wildlife, birds andfish. They create a distinctive ecosystem where theflow of water, the cycling of nutrients and the energyof the sun join together and perform a vital role ina watershed. Using a watershed-based approach towetland protection ensures that the whole system,including land, air and water resources, is protected.Watershed-BasedApproachA watershed is defined by the EPA as the area inwhich all water, sediments, and dissolved materialsflow or drain from the land into a common river, lake,ocean, or other body of water. A watershed maycontain multiple types of wetlands as illustratedin this brochure. Programs protecting the habitat,flood control, recreational and education benefitsof a wetland can be incorporated into an overallwatershed plan that benefits an entire ecosystem.The watershed-based approach addresses strainsto the land, air, and water, and is a collaborativeplanning process that brings together citizens,non-profit organizations, businesses, and local,state, tribal and federal governments. Today, ascounties endeavor to balance the demands growingpopulations place on land and water resourceswith economic development needs, planning iscritical. A comprehensive county watershed planallows a county to establish visions and goals for thearea, identify and evaluate their local wetlands andconsider alternative impacts on a wetland area priorto development or the implementation of changes.For more information on watershed planningvisit the Center for Watershed Protection atwww.cwp.org.Economic BenefitsThe natural functions of wetlands provide economicvalue to communities. Wetlands provide foodand nursery areas for commercial and recreationalspecies of fish and shellfish. Wetlands also providegoods and services such as water filtration, habitat,flood control and food production. We even getcranberries, blueberries, mint, wild rice and manymedicines from wetlands.Although the tangible benefits of wetlands – suchas the cranberries and medicines mentioned above– are easier to calculate in terms of a dollar value,the true economic value of wetlands is difficult todetermine due to the uniqueness and variety of theirfunctions. However, an estimated value of all economicbenefits generated by a single acre of wetlandis between $150,000 and $200,000. The flood controlfunctions that wetlands provide can also preventcostly expenditures in erosion control projects likeriparian and stream bank stabilization.Did you know?A study assessing theworld’s natural ecosystemsestimated that theglobal value of wetlandresources was $14.9 trillion,accounting for 45%of the value of all naturalecosystems.Early identificationof wetlands in thelandscape increasesopportunities tomaintain the functionsand values theyprovide. Residentialand commercial developmentsmay beable to increase thevalue of their propertyand reduce negative environmental impacts byincorporating habitat areas and stormwater controlinto site designs. According to the EPA, maintainingnatural wetlands in residential areas can increasereal property values by up to 28 percent while alsoenhancing the quality of life.County Spotlight -Lake County, IllinoisLake County is a large urban county situated innortheastern Illinois, with Lake Michigan to the east,Wisconsin to the north and the City of Chicago to thesouth. It comprises 448 square miles and in 2000 thisrapidly growing coastal county’s population was justunder 650,000 people.2

County Spotlight –Pima County, ArizonaPima County is a growing county and is currently thesecond largest of the four original Arizona counties. Accountingfor 9,187 square miles of southern Arizona, thecounty includes the city of Tucson and is a large urbancounty with a population in 2000 of over 840,000 people.Pima County is protecting endangered species andhabitats through the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan.The Sonoran Desert is rich in biodiversity and one of thetop eco-regions in the world. Pima County is committedto the long-term survival of native plants and animals andthe conservation of its cultural resources, and now has asingle plan comprised of natural resource protection andland use planning activities. The county’s conservationplan places priority on preserving and protecting thesenatural resources while also being mindful of growth inthe area.Pima County recognizes that 60 to 75% of all speciesin the state of Arizona depend on a riverine area orwetland at some point in their life cycle. So the county’splan includes guidelines on the conservation of 95% ofthe wetland areas that will be affected by developmentthrough conservation easements, restoration projects,zoning revisions, and partnerships with public and privateentities. To learn more about Pima County’s role in the SonoranDesert Conservation plan visit: www.co.pima.az.us/cmo/sdcp/index.html.Wetland and Watershed-Related Resourcesfor Local Governments● National Association of Counties (NACo) – providescounty officials with wetlands and watershed technicaland legislative assistance as well as funding through theFive Star Restoration Challenge Grant Program. NACo is apartner in this EPA funded program that supports community-basedwetlands restoration projects. www.naco.org/techassistance under Water Quality or contact Erik Johnstonat (202) 942-4246 or ejohnston@naco.org.● U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), WetlandsDivision – provides comprehensive informationon laws and regulations, benefits of preserving wetlands,financial assistance and regional resources. www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands– For a wide range of wetlands fact sheets go towww.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/facts/contents.html.– View the wetlands publications list at www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/wetpubs.html.– The EPA Wetlands Information Hotline 1-800-832-7828 isavailable Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:30pm ESTto provide specific information on wetlands regulation,legislation and policy, or to order resources.● Association of State Floodplain Managers – Thegoal of this association is to mitigate the losses, costs andhuman suffering caused by flooding and to promote wiseuse of the natural and beneficial functions of floodplainsthrough policy and practice changes. www.floods.org/home/default.asp● Association of State Wetland Managers – Providespamphlets, books, brochures, white papers and summariesof findings of symposia and workshops as well asinformation on local, state and federal wetlands programs.www.aswm.org● Center for Watershed Protection – Provides education,outreach and training on watershed protection, planning,restoration and research as well stormwater managementand better site design. www.cwp.org● National Marine Fisheries Service RestorationCenter (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)– Focuses on enhancing living marine resources tobenefit the nation’s fisheries by restoring degraded habitats,advancing the science of coastal habitat restoration, transferringrestoration technology and fostering habitat stewardshipand a conservation ethic. www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration/● National Wetlands Inventory Center (U.S. Fish andWildlife Service) – Provides digitized wetland maps, statusand trend reports as well as manuals, plant and hydric soilslists, field guides, posters, wall size resource maps, atlases,state reports and numerous articles published in professionaljournals. www.nwi.fws.gov● National Wetlands Research Center – Is a part ofthe Biological Resources Division of the U.S. GeologicalSurvey and serves as a source and clearinghouse of scienceinformation about wetlands in the United States and world.www.nwrc.usgs.gov● Stormwater Manager’s Resource Center – Provideslinks to stormwater management information including:manuals, ordinances, articles, fact sheets and a library ofslideshows. www.stormwatercenter.net6

● U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – provides resources andlinks to information about wetlands regulation and permitting.www.usace.army.mil/missions/environment.html● Water Environment Federation – Provides researchpublications, training and technical expertise on wastewatertreatment and water quality protection. www.wef.org● Wetlands Mapper – Provides wetlands mapdata applications and easy-to-use, maplike views ofAmerica’s wetland resources in a digital format. http://wetlandsfws.er.usgs.gov● Wetlands Regulation Center – Provides informationon laws, policies and regulations concerning activitiesregulated under Sections 401 and 404 of the Clean WaterAct. www.wetlands.com● Wetland Reserve Program – A U.S. Department ofAgriculture program that offers landowners technical andfinancial support to protect, restore and enhance wetlands.www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/wrpThe EPA Wetlands Information Hotline: 1-800-832-7828Available Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 5:30pm EST to provide specific information on wetlands regulation, legislationor EPA regional and national wetlands contacts.AcknowlegementsNACo thanks the following individuals and organizations for contributingto this brochure:• the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wetlands, Oceansand Watersheds provided funding through Cooperative AgreementsX7 - 83115601 and CD-83266201.• Photos courtesy of: submissions to the EPA Wetland Photo Contest includingDennis Demcheck, Mathew Poach, Matt Giannti, Elinor Osborn,Barbara Keywood, Corey Michael, James McIntyre, Mark Dilley, MistieJordan, Gary Armstrong, Arthur Popp, Jim Newton, and Jay O’Brien;Takemefishing.org; and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.• Research and writing by NACo staff: Erik Johnston, Kelly Zonderwykand Kristen Bertram; and editing by Abigail Friedman.• Graphic design and layout by Jack Hernandez of NACo• County staff and officials who provided information.• Disclaimer: The opinions in this publication are those of the contributors,and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EPA or NACo.ReferencesApfelbaum, S.I., M. Sands, T.H. Price, J.D. Eppich. 1995. The Prairie CrossingProject; Attaining Water Quality and Stormwater Management Goalsin a Conservation Development. In Proceedings of National Symposiumon Using Ecological Restoration to Meet Clean Water Act Goals. Chicago,Ill. March 14-16, US EPA Conference.Costanza, R., D’Arge, R,, and R.D. Groot. 1997. The value of the world’secosystem services and natural capital. Nature (London), 387:253-260.The Trust for Public Land, Economic Benefits Report (1999)www.tpl.org/tier3_cdl.cfm?content_item_id=1159&folder_id=727.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Economic Benefits ofRunoff Controls (Sept. 1995) www.epa.gov/OWOW/NPS/runoff.html.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Functions and Valuesof Wetlands Fact Sheet (Sept. 2001) www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/facts/fun_val.pdf.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Wetlands and WatershedsFact Sheet www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/facts/fact26.html.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Wetlands Functionsand Values Module (Oct. 2002) www.epa.gov/watertrain/wetlands.7

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