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Wetland Conservation Act

WCA

The Wetland Conservation Act (WCA) was established in 1991 to set land management and conservation guidelines for wetlands in Minnesota. The South Washington Watershed District is the local WCA authority.

The SWWD coordinates with our partners at the Washington Conservation District (WCD) to administer WCA in the watershed. All WCA inquires should be directed to the WCA Wetland Specialist.

Aerial view of wetlands

Wetland Protection

WCA regulates wetlands in Minnesota that are not public waters, such as lakes and streams. The goal of WCA rules is to protect wetlands, with no net loss to the number of wetlands through wetland replacement or wetland banking. 

Wetland replacement

Wetland replacement occurs by either restoring a wetland that was previously drained, or by creating a new wetland. 

Wetland banking

Wetland banking is a way for someone proposing a project to buy credits from a “bank” of wetlands that have been restored or created elsewhere. Payment for wetland bank credits depends on many factors, including the cost of the land in the development area and the cost of creating or restoring wetlands. 

What is a wetland?

A “wetland” refers to a wide variety of wet environments found in Minnesota. A wetland may be a slight depression that holds water after spring runoff, or a forested swamp with saturated peat soils. 

In the SWWD, wetlands generally look like a small body of open water with cattails on the edges. While lakes and streams are generally not wetlands, they can be bordered by wetlands. 

Wetland areas are identified by their vegetation, soils, and hydrology. It can be difficult to determine the boundary between the wetland and upland. To determine that boundary, a wetland delineation is performed. Once you no longer see vegetation, soils, and hydrology associated with wetlands, you are legally outside of the wetland boundary and in the upland area.

How to identify a wetland

There are some clues that are helpful in determining wetland vs. non-wetland areas. 

The simplest way to identify a wetland is by the type of vegetation that is there. However, soil and hydrology are also factors in properly identifying a wetland, but can be more complex. 

1. Vegetation

There are several species of plants that are commonly found in wetlands. These types of plants thrive in wet conditions, and out compete plants that do not enjoy getting their feet wet. 

If you see these plants, you are likely looking at a wetland:

  • Bog Rosemary
  • Swamp Milkweed
  • Bog Birch
  • Sundew
  • Cotton-grass
  • Sandbar Willow
  • Black Willow
  • Skunk-cabbage
  • Labrador tea
  • Sphagnum moss
  • Bulrush
  • Wild Rice
  • Cattail
Pointed red and green veined plant emerging from the thawing ground with partial snow
Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)
Small red plant with long extended limbs and shiny dew on the tips
Spoon-leaf Sundew (Drosera intermedia)
Delicate green leaves with yellowish green flowering heads
Sandbar Willow (Salix interior)
Small white flowers clustered on dark green leaves and stem
Labrador Tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum)
Monarch butterfly perched on pink clustered flowers
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

2. Soils

Water impacts how soil develops. In Minnesota, there are two major soil types that develop in wet conditions; organic soils, or peat, and mineral soils. Both of these soils are referred to as hydric soils. 

Organic soils or peat

This type of soil develops in depressions in the ground and are made up of plant remains that don’t decompose due to water saturation. Organic soils can be anywhere from 2 to 30 feet deep, and unbrokendown plant parts are often still visible in organic peat soils.

Mineral soils

This type of soil is saturated most of the time, and so becomes a dull grey color referred to as gleyed. Gleyed soils can also be greenish or bluish gray. 

While mineral soils are often saturated, when unsaturated for short periods of time, they can begin to look different. They may develop spots or blotches of different colors. The areas that change color are called mottles and are a sign of hydric or wetland soils.

Mineral soils

This type of soil is saturated most of the time, and so becomes a dull grey color referred to as gleyed. Gleyed soils can also be greenish or bluish gray.

While mineral soils are often saturated, when unsaturated for short periods of time, they can begin to look different. They may develop spots or blotches of different colors. The areas that change color are called mottles and are a sign of hydric or wetland soils.

3. Hydrology

Hydrology refers to the presence or flow of water through an area. Some wetlands are relatively dry during drier times of the year like late summer. However, aerial photos, talking with nearby neighbors, and other visual indicators should be used to fully determine wetland hydrology. 

Why are wetlands important?

Wetlands are essential habitat for amphibians and migratory birds, who depend on the highly specialized ecosystem that wetlands create. 

Wetlands also help to control flooding. They hold stormwater and release it gradually through a process called infiltration. This not only reduces flood damage brought on by large amounts of water in a short amount of time, but also improves water quality. Wetlands filter nutrients and some pollutants that cause algal blooms and poor water quality of nearby lakes and streams. 

John Loomis

Staff Contact

Questions? Reach out to John Loomis, Administrator, at John.Loomis@swwdmn.gov or call 651.728.6038.

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