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ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEY UPDATE ARTICLES
WETLAND ISSUES
by David Cavanaugh
The consensus, both in the lab and
outside, is that wetlands are important for filtering pollutants from water,
storing flood waters, and providing wildlife habitat. Floods of such magnitude
that they qualify for federal disaster relief occur every 18 months in PA.
However, we also think that agriculture and urban development, the two main
destroyers of wetlands, are important too. The statistics reporting on trends in
the loss of wetlands show that we're losing fewer wetlands, but it doesn't meet
the "no net loss" mandate.
We have gone from a loss of 3 million acres
between 1975 and 1985 to a loss of 1 million acres between 1985 and 1995. Today,
that's about 117,000 acres per year. A recent study by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service makes it clear that the "no-net-loss" target of the
Bush and Clinton administrations has not been met. Knowing what we know now,
where do we go from here?
Decisions that affect wetlands of all types are
primarily in the hands of city and county governments. These groups need to be
proactive in managing wetlands in their jurisdictions by: 1) making a map and
field inventory of wetlands; 2) creating a wetlands management plan; and 3)
considering the creation of a mitigation bank (private or public); 4)
understanding the potential of constructed wetlands, and 5) working with
landowners and developers on a timely basis to waive stringent zoning
requirements so that there are flexible development plans or sites with
wetlands. The developer needs to understand both the short term and long term
costs of impacting wetlands.
The inventory process will define what a
wetland is and identify the location, type, acreage and condition of each
wetland. With this knowledge, the effects of private development and agriculture
can be measured and a land use plan can be implemented to maintain the wetlands
targeted for preservation. (GIS data and the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI)
maps show local wetlands).
If local regulations are required, they should
agree with the federal permitting process to avoid confusion and delays.
Preservation funds can be used to purchase the most important wetlands.
Creating a public or private mitigation bank is
another way of reducing wetland loss. One such example is the creation of a
riparian buffer zone along a degraded stream corridor. When a home builder,
transportation department or other entity is going to destroy a wetland,
repairing or building a wetland in another location can offset the loss.
Sometimes the developer is asked to purchase a credit for the same or greater
acreage of restored wetlands as a condition of future development. These funds
in turn can be used to purchase open land.
Another recent trend is the use of wetlands as
treatment areas for storm water and wastewater from local government sources.
This process cleans the water before it reaches waterways. Palm Beach, Florida
is going a step further by testing a system that cleans the water that goes into
the aquifer that the city taps for drinking water. A future vision is to have
many such treatment areas in a city or suburban area serving clusters of homes.
To the visitor it would look like a botanical garden lush and green all year.
The waste water would circulate from area to area until it emerged crystal
clear.
To take advantage of these advances, local
governments must be proactive and nurture their relationships with the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (COE), EPA, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (American
City and County, November 1997)
Developers have also become sensitive to
the wetlands issue. "Clustering" is typically used to provide buffers
from wetlands areas and grading and storm drainage features are used to enhance
wetlands protection and/or water flows.
Knowing more about wetlands and how to
develop sensibly has helped alleviate some of the pressure on remaining
wetlands. Increasing public pressure to preserve what we have is helping
initiatives to purchase the most important wetlands, further easing development
pressures. Wetlands help maintain biodiversity, and with our water cleaner than
in the past, trends are positive for more sensitive development and better
wetlands protection in the future. - Gary Brown
January/February 1998
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