The Engineer's Role in Wetland Enhancement, Restoration and Creation

by Elliot Silverston, Greiner, Inc, Tampa, United States,
Mark Easley, Greiner, Inc, Tampa, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Water Resources Planning and Management and Urban Water Resources

Abstract:

Efforts are being made by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), to implement President Bush's policy of 'no net loss' of wetlands. Many state and local government agencies have or are adopting similar policies. This policy puts an added responsibility on projects to avoid or minimize the disturbance to wetlands. Through the Section 404 process, wetland and other environmental impacts are evaluated in order to select a viable project. When a project must impact a wetland, mitigation through creation of new wetlands, and restoration and/or enhancement of existing impacted wetlands will probably be required to compensate for the loss. The biologist and engineer must work together in cooperation with regulatory agencies to ensure that the mitigation will work. This paper describes the engineer's role in utilizing wetlands as part of the overall project and applying Best Management Practices (BMPs) to minimize impacts.

Subject Headings: Wetlands (fresh water) | Wetlands (coastal) | Project management | Federal government | Ecological restoration | Best Management Practices (BMPs) | Water resources

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