Follow the links below to
find the subcategory of interest.
Wetlands, Riparian Areas, and Vegetated Treatment
Systems Management Measures:
 Protection of Wetlands and Riparian Areas
Restoration of Wetlands and Riparian Areas
Vegetated Treatment Systems
Education/Outreach
The purposes of these management
measures are to promote and maintain the water quality
benefits of wetland and riparian areas and to ensure
that degradation does not result in nonpoint source (NPS)
pollution. Associated with each management
measure are management practices that are designed to promote conservation and
restoration of wetlands, and reduce the quantities of pollutants entering receiving
waters. The fact sheet prepared for each management measure informs readers of
the programs, information resources, and case studies specific to California
and the management measure.
Wetlands are vital to the survival of aquatic and terrestrial
wildlife and plants. They play an important role in filtering
out pollutants, preventing soil erosion, providing flow control,
surface and ground water storage, aquatic and semiaquatic habitat,
biological diversity, and recreation (California Resources
Agency, 1998). In California, only 10 percent of the wetlands
that existed prior to European settlement remain intact and
only 5 percent of the coastal wetlands remain intact (California
Resources Agency, 1998). Changes in hydrology, geochemistry,
substrate, or species composition can impair wetland and riparian
areas and reduce their ability to filter out pollutants in
runoff, which can result in poor water quality in the receiving
waters. Activities such as highway construction, deposition
of dredged material, draining wetlands for development or cropland, hydromodification,
and excavation of ports and marinas can all cause impairment of wetlands and
riparian areas (USEPA, 2001). |
Please
see the California Nonpoint Source Encyclopedia for a fact
sheet on each of the management
measures, containing a description of related state and federal
programs, a list of specific management practices,
additional information resources, example case studies in
California, and references.
|
 Wetlands, Riparian Areas,
and Vegetated Treatment Systems 6A Protection of Wetlands
and Riparian Areas.
Implementation of this management measure is intended
to protect the existing water quality improvement functions
of wetlands and riparian areas as a component of NPS
programs. 6B Restoration of Wetlands
and Riparian Areas.
Restoration of wetlands and riparian areas refers to
the recovery of a range of functions that existed previously
by reestablishing hydrology, vegetation, and structure
characteristics. Damaged or destroyed wetland and riparian
areas should be restored where restoration of such systems
will significantly abate polluted runoff. 6C Vegetated Treatment Systems.
Promotes the installation of vegetated treatment systems
(e.g., artificial or constructed wetlands) in areas where
these systems will serve a polluted runoff-abatement
function. Vegetated filter strips and engineered wetlands
remove sediment and other pollutants from runoff and
wastewater, and prevent pollutants from entering adjacent
water bodies. Removal typically occurs through filtration,
deposition, infiltration, absorption, adsorption, decomposition,
and volatilization. 6D Education and Outreach.
Promotes the establishment of programs to develop and
disseminate scientific information on wetlands and riparian
areas and to develop greater public and agency staff
understanding of natural hydrologic systems—including
their functions and values, how they are lost, and the
choices associated with their protection and restoration. |
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