Criteria Development Guidance
Wetlands
The Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual: Wetlands is one in a series of waterbody-specific documents that support the National Nutrient Strategy. The intent of this document is to provide states and tribes with methods to assess waterbody nutrient impairment and develop ecoregion-specific nutrient criteria. The wetlands document provides background information on classifying wetlands, selecting criteria variables, designing monitoring programs, building a database analyzing nutrient and algal data, deriving regional criteria, and implementing management practices.
The wetlands modules are a starting point to help states and tribes establish biological and nutrient water quality criteria specifically refined for wetlands.
- Guidance Manual: Wetlands
- Fact sheet about the Guidance Manual (November 24, 2008)
- Wetlands Modules
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Guidance Manual: Wetlands; EPA-822-B-08-001
- Cover and Front Matter (PDF) (8 pp., 223 K)
- Table of Contents
- List of Figures
- List of URLs/References
- Executive Summary
- Chapter 1 & 2—Introduction and Overview (PDF) (19 pp., 693 K)
- Chapter 1: Introduction
- Water Quality Standards and Criteria
- Nutrient Enrichment Problems
- Overview of the Criteria Development Process
- Roadmap to the Document
- Chapter 2: Overview of Wetland Science
- Introduction
- Components of Wetlands
- Wetland Nutrient Components
- Chapter 1: Introduction
- Chapter 3 & 4: Classifications and Sampling Design (PDF) (25 pp., 525 K)
- Chapter 3: Classifications of Wetlands
- Introduction
- Existing Wetland Classification Schemes
- Sources of Information for Mapping Wetland Classes
- Differences in Nutrient Reference Condition or Sensitivity to Nutrients among Wetland Classes
- Recommendations
- Chapter 4: Sampling Design for Wetland Monitoring
- Introduction
- Considerations for Sampling Design
- Sampling Protocol
- Summary
- Chapter 3: Classifications of Wetlands
- Chapter 5 & 6: Candidate Variables and Database Development (PDF) (20 pp., 318 K)
- Chapter 5: Candiate Variables for Establishing Nutrient Criteria
- Introduction
- Overview of Candidate Variables
- Supporting Variables
- Causal Variables
- Response Variables
- Chapter 6: Database Development and New Data Collection
- Introduction
- Databases and Database Management
- Quality of Historical and Collected Data
- Collecting New Data
- Quality Assurance/Quality Control
- Chapter 5: Candiate Variables for Establishing Nutrient Criteria
- Chapter 7 & 8: Data Analysis and Criteria Development (PDF) (16 pp., 460 K)
- Chapter 7: Data Analysis
- Introduction
- Factors Affecting Analysis Approach
- Distribution-based Approaches
- Reponse-based Approaches
- Partitioning Effects Among Multiple Stressors
- Statistical Techniques
- Linking Nutrient Availability to Primary Producer Response
- Chapter 8: Criteria Development
- Introduction
- Methods for Developing Nutrients Criteria
- Evaluation of Proposed Criteria
- Interpreting and Applying Criteria
- Chapter 7: Data Analysis
- References (PDF) (33 pp., 179 K)
- Appendices (PDF) (25 pp., 613 K)
- Acronyms and Glossary
- Case Study: Deriving a Phosphorus Criterion for the Florida Everglades
- Literature Cited
- Full Wetlands Guidance document (PDF) (156 pp., 2.3 MB)
Wetlands Modules
EPA prepared the following modules to give states and tribes "state-of-the-science" information that will help them develop biological assessment methods to evaluate both the overall ecological condition of wetlands and nutrient enrichment (one of the primary stressors on many wetlands).
- Introduction to Wetland Biological Assessment (PDF) (42 pp., 1.6 MB)
- Introduction to Wetland Nutrient Assessment 1
- The State of Wetland Science 1
- Study Design for Monitoring Wetlands (PDF) (21 pp., 468 K)
- Administrative Framework for the Implementation of a Wetland Bioassessment Program 1
- Developing Metrics and Indexes of Biological Integrity (PDF) (45 pp., 599 K)
- Wetlands Classification (PDF) (43 pp., 2.2 MB)
- Volunteers and Wetland Biomonitoring (PDF) (26 pp., 475 K)
- Developing an Invertebrate Index of Biological Integrity for Wetlands (PDF) (57 pp., 1.56 MB)
- Using Vegetation To Assess Environmental Conditions in Wetlands (PDF) (46 pp., 2.1 MB)
- Using Algae To Assess Environmental Conditions in Wetlands (PDF) (49 pp., 812 K)
- Using Amphibians in Bioassessments of Wetlands (PDF) (48 pp., 1.05 MB)
- Biological Assessment Methods for Birds (PDF) (22 pp., 813 K)
- Wetland Bioassessment Case Studies (PDF) (104 pp., 1.22 MB)
- Bioassessment Methods for Fish 1
- Vegetation-Based Indicators of Wetland Nutrient Enrichment (PDF) (29 pp., 874 K)
- Land-Use Characterization for Nutrient and Sediment Risk Assessment (PDF) (17 pp., 443 K)
- Biogeochemical Indicators (PDF) (44 pp., 1.3 MB)
- Nutrient Loading (PDF) (43 pp., 948 K)
- Wetland Hydrology (PDF) (45 pp., 1.46 MB)
1 These modules will no longer be produced. They have been incorporated into the Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual: Wetlands.