Benefits of Wetlands - Trinity Waters

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