The Clean Water Act Section 404 Program . The principal federal program that provides regulatory protection for wetlands is found in Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Its intent is to protect water and adjacent wetland areas from adverse environmental effects due to discharges of dredged or fill material.
What policies protect wetlands?
The federal government protects wetlands through regulations, such as Section 404 of the Clean Water Act , economic incentives and disincentives, cooperative programs, and acquisition.
Which of the following acts as the single comprehensive wetland law or policy in the US?
There is no single , comprehensive wetland law or policy in the U.S. ... -Asserted that the federal government holds primary jurisdiction over migratory birds and the conservation of their habitat, which is primarily wetlands.
Which of the following US government agencies provides protection for wetlands located on agricultural lands?
The five Federal agencies that share the primary responsibility for protecting wetlands include the Department of Defense, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps); the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS); the Department of Commerce, National ...
What government agency protects wetlands?
Wetlands Protection and Restoration | US EPA .
Does the EPA protect wetlands?
EPA works with a variety of other federal agencies to protect and restore wetlands, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
What are the problems of wetlands?
The Problem
Wetlands destruction has increased flood and drought damage, nutrient runoff and water pollution, and shoreline erosion , and triggered a decline in wildlife populations.
Can you do anything with wetlands?
The only safe advice available is to manage wetlands in their existing condition in a manner that retains the vegetation, hydrology/water regime, and soils as they exist. Such activities as recreation, sound forest management, and other passive uses are safe.
How does the EPA protect wetlands?
USEPA responsibilities which affect wetlands include, but are not limited to, developing rules to regulate municipal and industrial wastewater discharge, and stormwater discharge; overseeing drinking water quality ; and overseeing USACE regulatory activities pertaining to wetlands protection, and dredge and fill ...
How are wetlands determined?
Wetlands are delineated by carefully examining a site for the presence of wetland indi- cators . Three categories of wetland indicators — vegetation, soil, and hydrology — are explained briefly in the following sections.
The act itself defines navigable waters to include the territorial seas, which generally means the oceans out to three miles offshore. This aspect of the law protects against offshore discharges from sewage plants, power plants, factories, and oceangoing vessels .
Can I farm a wetland?
“If you have a field or area of the field designated as a wetland, you can continue to farm it , as long as you don’t alter the drainage system to improve drainage,” Zimprich says.
What percentage of US wetlands are protected?
Wetlands now occupy about 5.5 percent of the land surface of the lower 48 states. Three-fourths of the remaining wetlands in the continental United States are privately owned and only about 0.5 percent of these are under some form of conservation protection (Tiner, 1984).
What are three common types of wetlands?
- Marshes.
- Swamps.
- Bogs.
- Fens.
What are benefits of wetlands?
Wetlands provide many societal benefits: food and habitat for fish and wildlife , including threatened and endangered species; water quality improvement; flood storage; shoreline erosion control; economically beneficial natural products for human use; and opportunities for recreation, education, and research (Figure 28) ...
What can be done to prevent wetland degradation?
Reduce, reuse, and recycle your waste and trash . Protecting the environment helps protect the wetlands, especially since trash can make its way into the water. The best and easiest way to protect the environment is by limiting your household waste.
