Although wetlands are often wet, a wetland might not be wet year-round. In fact, some of the most important wetlands are only seasonally wet. Wetlands are the link between the land and the water. They are transition zones where the flow of water, the cycling of nutrients and the energy of the sun meet to produce a unique ecosystem characterized by hydrology, soils and vegetation—making these areas very important features of a watershed.
On this page:
- Introduction to Wetlands
- Regulatory Information under the Clean Water Act Section 404
- Other Federal, and State, and Local Programs
- Planning and Partnerships
Introduction to Wetlands
- Wetlands Overview (PDF)(4 pp, 301 K, About PDF)
- Types of Wetlands (PDF)(2 pp, 86 K, About PDF)
- Functions and Values of Wetlands (PDF)(2 pp, 337y K, About PDF)
- Economic Benefits of Wetlands (PDF)(4 pp, 281 K, About PDF)
- Threats to Wetlands (PDF)(2 pp, 449 K, About PDF)
- Teaching About Wetlands (PDF)(2 pp, 1.37 MB, About PDF)
- Wetland Restoration (PDF)(2 pp, 402 K, About PDF)
- American Wetlands Month (PDF)(2 pp, 736 K, About PDF)
- Hypoxia and Wetlands Restoration (PDF)(2 pp, 240 K, About PDF)
- Protecting Wetlands for Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PDF)(4 pp, 979 K, About PDF)
- Wetlands and West Nile Virus (PDF)(2 pp, 1.36 MB, About PDF)
- Wetlands: Protecting Life and Property from Flooding (PDF)(4 pp, 398 K, About PDF)
- America's Wetland: Our Vital Link Between Land and Water (PDF) (16 pp, 758 K, About PDF)
Regulatory Information under the Clean Water Act Section 404
- Wetland Regulatory Authority (PDF)(2 pp, 687 K, About PDF)
- How Wetlands Are Defined and Identified
- Issue Resolution Procedures: Clean Water Act/Section 404(q) (PDF)(2 pp, 812 K, About PDF)
- EPA's Clean Water Act Section 404(c): Veto Authority (PDF)(2 pp, 528 K, About PDF)
- Wetlands Enforcement
- Wetlands Compensatory Mitigation (PDF)(2 pp, 288 K, About PDF)
- Mitigation Banking
- What about Takings?
- Section 404 and Swampbuster: Wetlands on Agricultural Lands
- Exemptions to Section 404 Permit Requirements
Other Federal, and State, and Local Programs
- State, Tribal, Local, and Regional Roles in Wetlands Protection
- Funding Wetland Projects (PDF)(2 pp, 93 K, About PDF)
- Using the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (PDF) (2 pp, 278 K, About PDF)
- State or Tribal Assumption of the Section 404 Permit Program
- Section 401 Certification and Wetlands
- Wetland Monitoring and Assessment (PDF)(4 pp, 411 K, About PDF)
- Wetland Monitoring and Assessment: A Technical Framework
- Wetlands and Runoff (PDF)(2 pp, 285 K, About PDF)
Planning and Partnerships
- Wetlands and Watersheds (PDF)(1 pp, 70 K, About PDF)
- What Is a State Wetland Conservation Plan? (PDF) (1 pp, 90 K, About PDF)
- Advance Identification (ADID)
- Partnerships with Landowners
- Sustainable Communities (PDF)(4 pp, 543 K, About PDF)
- Volunteering for Wetlands (PDF) (2 pp, 399 K, About PDF)
- Wetlands Protection: Partnering with Land Trusts (PDF) (2 pp, 241 K, About PDF)
- Wetlands Inhabitant Word Search (PDF)(1 pg, 8 K)
- Voluntary Restoration (PDF)(8 pp, 74 K)
- Coastal Wetlands (PDF)(2 pp, 2 MB)