In Wisconsin, wetlands are regulated by the WDNR and the US Army Corps of Engineers – depending on the wetlands location and isolation from “waters of the United States.” Counties and other municipalities may have their own wetland / environmental regulation.

Wetland delineations conducted by either Mr. Havel or Mr. Bretl or me do not require field concurrence by the WDNR, which is important because an on-site review by the WDNR could take up to 30 days and cost a fee. Therefore, hiring NES to oversee your wetland projects could save you both time and money.

Although neither the federal government nor the State of Wisconsin currently have professional licensing or registration requirements (like engineers or surveyors) for individuals conducting wetland work, the WDNR has an Assured Professional Wetland Delineator program that allows wetland professionals with significant knowledge and experience to bypass certain parts of the regulatory process. James Havel and

We can conduct wetland delineations during the growing season. The dates will vary throughout Wisconsin, but the general timeframe is from April – October.

Poorly drained soils often are associated with areas containing high water tables or standing water. If this situation is present, the site likely contains wetland vegetation and is wetland. Somewhat poorly drained soils may have similar hydrologic conditions, but in many cases the presence of water is much less evident and may only occur during

A site visit by a qualified wetland ecologist can help determine the presence of wetland. The WDNR will provide this service for a fee; however, they will not determine the location of a wetland boundary, if present. You will need to hire a consultant to complete a wetland delineation, if necessary. Determining the need for

There are 33 wetland community types found throughout Wisconsin. Of these, only 3 communities routinely have cattails present. Many of these wetlands also have little or no standing water present for much of the year.

The length of time water is present on the site will be the main factor in determining if the area is wetland. If the site has water present above, at or below the ground surface or the soils are saturated within the upper 12” for 14 consecutive days during the growing season, the area meets

Section 404 of the Clean Water Act: Those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water (hydrology) at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation (hydrophytes) typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions (hydric soils). Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes,