WETLANDS

The United States Army Corps of Engineers and the United States Environmental Protection Agency define wetlands as follows: “Those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marches, bogs, and similar areas.” Because wetlands are protected by various federal, state and local laws, the boundary of the protected wetland is important to determine before any development or construction. In addition, the location of wetlands is important to understand before land purchases as part of due diligence.

The Army Corps of Engineers uses three characteristics of wetlands when making wetland determinations: vegetation, soil, and hydrology. Unless an area has been altered or is a rare natural situation, wetland indicators of all three characteristics must be present during some portion of the growing season for an area to be a wetland.

IngenAE staff is experienced in the completion of wetland determinations and delineations in accordance with the 1987 Army Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual and Regional Supplement Delineation Manuals.