Western Washington has lots
of wetlands due to lots of rain!
Wetlands cover about 938,000
acres in Washington State, or
about 2 percent of the state's
total land.
Wetlands are critical to the
overall health of our
watersheds.
70% of the tidal - emergent wetlands in the
Puget Sound have been lost due to diking,
dredging and filling activities.
By 1980, Urbanized wetlands in the
Puget Sound have suffered losses
ranging from 90 to 98%.
U.S. Geological Survey of 11 Puget
Sound estuaries estimates 100% of
Puyallup River wetlands, 99% of
Duwamish River wetlands and 96%
of Samish River wetlands are lost
and more degraded.
Biological Productivity
Wetlands are the among the most
productive ecosystems in the world.
Immense varieties of species of
microbes, plants, insects,amphibians,
reptiles, birds, fish, and other wildlife
depend in some way on wetlands.
Wetland plants play an integral role
in the ecology of the watershed.
Wetland functions include many that are
important to people, including:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Flood control
Ground water recharge
Water filtration and purification
Erosion control
Wildlife habitat
Recreation
Research and education
Regional economic vitality
The
Water
Cycle and
Wetlands
System Wetland description
A. Palustrine.....
freshwater wetlands in which vegetation is
1. predominantly trees (forested wetlands);
2. shrubs (scrub- shrub wetlands);
3. emergent, erect, rooted herbaceous plants; or
submersed and (or) floating plants (aquatic beds).
4. intermittently to permanently flooded openwater bodies of less than 20 acres in which water
is less than 6.6 feet deep.
Forested Wetlands
LADY FERN – Common Wetland Fern
Shrub-scrub Wetland in the Nisqually National
Wildlife Refuge
Emergent Wetland
Horsetail
Common
Wetland Plant
B. Lacustrine.... freshwater wetlands within an
intermittently to permanently flooded lake or
larger than 20 acres and (or) deeper than 6.6 feet.
C. Riverine....... freshwater wetlands within a
channel.
D. Estuarine......Tidal wetlands and the mixing of
sea- water and freshwater.
E. Marine.........Tidal wetlands exposed to waves +
water having a salinity greater than 30 ppt.
The federal regulations Section 404 of the
Clean Water Act define wetlands as:
Those areas that are inundated or saturated by
surface or ground water (hydrology) at a
frequency and duration sufficient to support,
and that under normal circumstances do
support, a prevalence of vegetation
(hydrophytes) typically adapted for life in
saturated soil conditions (hydric soils).
Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes,
bogs, and similar areas (40 CFR 232.2(r)).
Wetland Indicator Plant Species Status
Soils
Hydrology = the water table and ponding
HYDROLOGY INDICATORS
WA Fish+Wildlife Service states 85%
of WA wildlife are“Critically
Dependent” on wetlands for a
portion of their lifecycle.
Although wetlands are about 3.5 percent
of U.S. land area, >1/3 of the US
threatened and endangered species live
only in wetlands.
Spotted
Frog
The eggs are deposited in spherical clusters
of up to 1,300 eggs which float freely.
Predators of
Columbia
Spotted Frog
adults include
river otters,
raccoons, herons
and garter
snakes, and the
invasive
Bullfrogs.
Cattails and Sitka spruce, salamanders and great blue
herons, white-tailed deer and juvenile salmon - wetlands
are overflowing with life.
In all, some 212 species of wildlife and many species of
plant life depend on western Washington's wetlands for
survival.
Wetland plants provide breeding and nursery sites, resting
areas for migratory species, and refuge from predators.
Decomposed plant matter (detritus) released into the water
is important food for many invertebrates and fish both in
the wetland and in associated aquatic systems.
Wetland
Animals
Wetland functions include many that are
important to people, including:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Flood control
Ground water recharge
Water filtration and purification
Erosion control
Wildlife habitat
Recreation
Research and education
Regional economic vitality
Snohomish county
wetland
The
Water
Cycle and
Wetlands
Snohomish Wetland in Flood
Wetlands store precipitation
and surface water and then
slowly release the water into
associated surface water
resources, ground water, and
the atmosphere.
Wetlands help protect properties from
potential flood damage.
The value of flood control increases with
wetland area and location.
Wetlands within and upstream of urban areas
are particularly valuable for flood protection.
The impervious surface in urban areas
greatly increases the rate and volume of
runoff, thereby increasing the risk of flood
damage.
Human
Impacted
Wetland
Water
Cycle
Ground water recharge
Wetlands recharges the water table
directly and the force or “hydraulic
head” for ground water discharge.
The extent of ground water recharge
by a wetland is dependent upon soil,
vegetation, site size, and total volume.
WATER FILTRATION
A wetland with more vegetation
will intercept more runoff and
be more capable of reducing
runoff velocity and removing
pollutants from the water than
a wetland with less vegetation
Scientists have estimated that
wetlands may remove between
70% and 90% of entering
nitrogen.
Riparian forests can reduce
nitrogen concentrations in runoff
and floodwater by up to 90% and
phosphate concentrations by 50%
Removal of Pathogens
Fecal coliform bacteria and
protozoans, threats to human
health, enter wetlands through
municipal sewage, urban
stormwater, leaking septic tanks,
and agricultural runoff. Bacteria
attach to suspended solids that are
then trapped by wetland vegetation .
Certain wetlands play an important role
in removing metals from other water
resources, runoff, and ground water.
Wetlands remove 20% - 100% of metals
in the water, depending on the specific
metal and the individual wetland.
Forested wetlands play a critical role in
removing metals downstream of
urbanized areas .
Negative Impacts of
Human Disturbances on
the
Functions of Wetlands
Several types of disturbances change the factors
that control wetland functions. Changing the:
• physical structure within a wetland (e.g., filling,
removing vegetation, tilling soils, compacting soils)
• amount and velocity of water (either increasing or
decreasing)
fluctuation of water levels (volume, frequency,
amplitude, direction of flow)
• amount of sediment (increasing or decreasing)
• Increasing the amount of nutrients
• Increasing the amount of toxic contaminants
• Changing the temperature
• Changing the acidity
• Increasing the concentration of salt
• Fragmentation (decreasing area of habitat and its
configuration)
• Other disturbances including alteration of soils,
construction of roads, noise, recreational access,
invasion of exotic species, and domestic pets
Acid Mine Drainage
Acid mine drainange is the result of
oxidation of pyrite (FeS2) to H2SO4 plus
FeOOH (limonite). This leaves a red/yellow
rust stain on stream boulders and can kill
aquatic life.
This is very common and is a major
environmental problem. Not only does the
acid kill aquatic life, but all of the heavy,
toxic metals like lead, zinc, cadmium, and
mercury are mobilized in the process.
Zinc absorbed by created wetland
Created wetland for mining drainage
We have filled or otherwise destroyed more
than half of America's wetlands. Over 60
percent of Washington's wetlands have been
lost to development.
This has increased flooding, erosion, water
pollution and property damage, and reduced
wildlife populations.
If we don't stop filling and draining wetlands,
these problems will only get worse.
THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK
Washington state has three primary laws that local
governments use to regulate wetlands in their
jurisdiction:
1. THE STATE ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
ACT OF 1971 (SEPA)
2. THE SHORELINE MANAGEMENT ACT OF
1971 (SMA)
3. THE GROWTH MANAGEMENT ACT OF
1990 (GMA)