A wetland is defined by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) as “those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances to support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas (USACE, 2014)”.
Criteria and methodologies used in the identification of potential wetlands are those prescribed in the USACE Wetland Delineation Manual (USACE, January 1987) and the appropriate regional supplement for the region. These documents outline methods for characterizing vegetation, recording soil data, and determining hydrology.
In order to be classified as a wetland all three of the following characterizations must meet specific requirements set forth by the USACE. Those areas not identified as wetlands are considered non-wetlands.
The criteria are:
- the prevalence of hydrophytic vegetation,
- the presence of hydric soils, and
- the presence of wetland hydrology.
C&S Consulting provides highly trained biologists and environmental scientists who can determine the absence or presence of wetlands or other waters of the United States (WOTUS) within a project area based on the requirements and criteria set forth by the USACE.