Wetland Mitigation

Wetlands Wetlands are protected under section 404 of the Clean Water Act. USACE is the primary agency responsible for permitting, enforcement and protection of wetlands. USACE have jurisdiction over wetlands adjacent to waters of the US.

Wetland Mitigation USACE motto is “no net loss” of wetlands Mitigation is compensating for resource losses and is considered throughout the USACE permit application review process. On site and off site mitigation

On-site Mitigation On-site mitigation should be undertaken in areas adjacent to the discharge site. USACE Regulatory Division base mitigation calculations on acreage and use different ratios when determining compensation.

Wetlands Ratios Restoration 2:1 Enhancement 3:1 Creation 4:1 Preservation 10:1

Off-Site Mitigation Used when on-site mitigation is not practicable One may obtain credits from a mitigation bank approved by the USACE and EPA Based on HUC and eco-region

Problems with mitigation Success of banks are unknown Trading of different types of wetlands are inefficient.