8 Reasons to Care About Wetlands

wetlandsWetlands play an important role in the well-being of the environment.

Benefits of Wetlands

Wetlands provide:

  1. Water purification where water is filtered, cleaned and stored
  2. Flood control where flood waters are collected and held
  3. Habitat to a wide range of plant and animal life
  4. Shoreline stability where the wind and tidal forces are absorbed
  5. Downstream waters restored with fresh supplies
  6. Pollution removal
  7. Groundwater recharge with fresh supplies
  8. Providing fish and wildlife a habitat

Wetland Protections

Ohio regulates wetlands primarily through water quality certification to federal 404 permits.  In addition, Ohio enacted the Isolated Wetland Law.  The law makes it illegal for a person to engage in the filling of an isolated wetland or to discharge dredged material into isolated wetlands without a permit.  The law establishes three tiers of regulation.  They are associated with different levels of review, different criteria for approval or disapproval of a permit and different mitigation requirements.  

Requirements

Anyone who wishes to discharge, dredge or fill materials into the waters of the US regardless of whether private or public property must obtain a Section 404 permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers and a Section 401 Water Quality Certification (WQC) from the state.  If it is an Isolated Wetland in Ohio then an Isolated Wetland Permit from Ohio EPA is in order.  

Turn-Key’s professional staff assists clients with the wetlands permitting process.