Wetlands Essay, Research Paper

Environmental Science 101

Kim High

“Wetlands” is the collective term for marshes, swamps, bogs, and similar areas. Wetlands are found in flat vegetated areas, in depressions on the landscape, and between water and dry land along the edges of streams, rivers, lakes, and coastlines. Wetland areas can be found in nearly every county and climatic zone in the United States. Inland wetlands receive water from precipitation, ground water and/or surface water. Coastal and estuarine wetlands receive water from precipitation, surface water, tides, and/or ground water. Surface water sources include runoff and rain.

Since the 1600s, more than half of the original wetlands in the lower forty-eight states have been destroyed (Winter 124). Twenty-two states have lost at least fifty percent of their original wetlands. Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Ohio have lost more than eighty percent of their original wetlands and California and Iowa have lost nearly ninety-nine percent. Since the 1970s, the most extensive losses of wetlands have occurred in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Wetlands have been drained and converted to farmland, filled for housing developments and industrial facilities, and used as receptacles for waste. Human activities continue to adversely affect wetland ecosystems.

More recently, society has begun to understand the functions of wetlands and the value humans obtain from them. Wetlands help regulate water levels within watersheds; improve water quality; reduce flood and storm damages; provide important fish and wildlife habitat; and support hunting, fishing, and other recreational activities. Wetlands are important features in watershed management. The characteristics of wetlands are a good reason to regulate and control the destruction of them.

The use of regulation to protect wetlands as integral and essential parts of the nation’s waters began formally in 1972 through the Clean Water Act (also known as the 1972 Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended). Section 404 of the Clean Water Act establishes the federal authority to regulate activities in wetlands. Under Section 404, jointly administered by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the discharge of material into waters of the United States, including wetlands, requires a permit from the Corps based on regulations developed in conjunction with EPA (Winter 109). Failure to obtain a permit or comply with the terms of a permit can result in civil and/or criminal penalties. Other federal regulations and guidelines have been issued which further the goal of wetland protection and improved wetlands management. Many state and local governments have also enacted regulations and ordinances protecting wetlands.

One cause of wetland depletion is the construction of roads and bridges across wetlands since wetlands have low land value. It is often considered to be more cost effective to build roads or bridges across wetlands than around them (Winter 213). Roads can impound a wetland, even if culverts are used. Such inadvertent impoundment and hydrologic alteration can change the functions of the wetland (Winter 223). Road and bridge construction activities can increase sediment loading to wetlands (Mitsch and Gosselink 96). Roads can also disrupt habitat continuity, driving out more sensitive, interior species, and providing habitat for hardier opportunistic edge and non-native species. Roads can impede movement of certain species or result in increased mortality for animals crossing them. Borrow pits (used to provide fill for road construction) that are adjacent to wetlands can degrade water quality through sedimentation and increase turbidity in the wetland (Irwin 34). The maintenance and use of roads contribute many chemicals into the surrounding wetlands. Rock salt used for deicing roads can damage or kill vegetation and aquatic life (Zentner 142). Herbicides, soil stabilizers, and dust palliatives used along roadways can damage wetland plants and the chemicals may concentrate in aquatic life or cause mortality (Zentner 156). Runoff from bridges can increase loading of hydrocarbons, heavy metals, toxic substances, and deicing chemicals directly into wetlands (Zentner). Bridge maintenance may contribute lead, rust (iron), and the chemicals from paint, solvents, abrasives, and cleaners directly into wetlands below. Innovative methods of constructing roads and bridges, and end-state (master) planning that reduces the need for new roads, can reduce the impacts of urbanization on wetlands.

Marina construction and dredging activities can contribute suspended sediments into waters adjacent to wetlands. Boating activity also increases turbidity and degradation of wetlands. Pollutants released from boats and marinas can adversely affect wetlands. Pollutants include: hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and toxic chemicals from paints, cleaners, and solvents (Zentner 167). Dumping of wastes from fish cleaning and discharge of human waste from marinas and boats can increase the amount of nutrients and organic matter in a wetland. The increased organic matter and nutrients can lead to eutrophication.

Another cause of wetland depletion is industry. Adverse effects of industry on wetlands can include: reduction of wetland acreage, alteration of wetland hydrology due to industrial water intake and discharge, water temperature increases, point and non-point source pollutant inputs, pH changes as a result of discharges, and atmospheric deposition. Saline water discharges, hydrocarbon contamination, and radionuclide accumulation from oil and gas production can significantly degrade coastal wetlands (Mitsch and Gosselink 67). Most petroleum hydrocarbon inputs into coastal wetlands are either from coastal oil industry activities, from oil spills at sea, from runoff, or from upstream releases (Mitsch and Gosselink 68). Oil can alter reproduction, growth, and behavior of wetland organisms, and can result in mortality. Plants suffocate when oil blocks their stomata (Winter 100).

Urbanization in Northwest Ohio has caused drastic negative effects on the local environment. In Ohio, over 90% of the original wetlands have been destroyed. (Sheildcastle). Urbanization places a higher demand on the water table. As population grows the water table lowers to keep up with the demand for water. Lowering the water table encourages water in the wetland to flow else where, Such as rivers, stream, lakes, and eventually the ocean. This causes flooding and saturation of the soil downstream, because of the excess water. Therefore, dams and preservation techniques must be instituted to control the unnatural lowering of the water table. Even minimal events such as the construction of a new reservoir cause a drastic chain reaction of destructive proportions to take place within an ecosystem.

An important wetland is McGee Marsh(the largest wetland in Ohio). It is located between Toledo and Port Clinton. This area is very important to the local environment. A process called fido-remedation controls water quality for humans as well as animals. This natural process is when wetland plants naturally metabolize water and absorb heavy metals such as: lead, iron, and aluminum. This process has relatively a small effect on the wetland plants, because of their reproduction rates. Moreover, the cleaning process is vital for certain wetland species to survive, because they have a low tolerance to hazardous materials (Beatty). When asked about specific species he stated, “Its important to realize the most species are affected indirectly.” He cited that stream trout have a very low threshold to foreign materials and although they live in streams a significant amount on water comes from wetlands, where water is naturally filtrated. Thus, wetlands make ecosystems more sustainable. Also, McGee Marsh is being threatened by population increases, shoreline development, and recreational boating. Urban development is “squeezing” wetland areas towards the lake while marinas and boating are destroying these areas. In response, the state is buying wetland areas and is giving tax breaks to individuals or companies who buy wetland areas for the purpose of conservation (Beatty).

Another interesting point. Of all endangered species in Ohio, fifty percent are wetland species (Sheildcastle). An alarming number considering that wetland areas make up a small fraction of classified lands in Ohio. This proves that wetlands are areas that have unique conditions that can support many species. Moreover, it is critical for us, as members of the environment, to conserve and preserve these areas because of their biodiversity and ecological impact they have on our environment. Wetlands maintain water quality, control floods, sustain biodiversity, and provide enjoyment. Urbanization, field and road runoff, agricutural, and many other human factors contribute to the decline of naturally occurring wetlands. An analogy can be used to visualize the importance of persevering wetlands, along with all other natural areas. Say a man is on a plane and notices someone pulling rivets out of the sheet metal on one of the wings of the plane. At first glance, he reasons that there has to be thousands of rivets in the wing, so there is no threat as off yet. More time passes and he glances again, he sees that same man on the wing with buckets of rivets that he had pulled out of the wing. He is now a little more concerned, but still does nothing and starts to put on his parachute. The question is: How many rivets can be removed before the plane goes down? This is the exact case the wetland preservationists face every day.

Beatty, Ryan. Personal Interview. 22, April. 1999.

Gosselink, Micheal, Mitsch, Nicholas. Discovering the Unknown Landscape : A History of.

Wetlands. Boston: Greenwood, 1993

Irwan, Samuel. Life in a Wetland. San Deigo: Harcourt. 1995.

Sheildcastle, Mark. Personal Interview. 23, April. 1999.

Winter, Thomas. America’s Wetlands. New York: Oxford UP, 1998.

Zentner, Alfred. Wetland (Exploring Earth’s Biomes). New York: Bantam,