Wetlands
Losses in the United States
1780's to 1980's
Table 1
SURFACE AREA | WETLANDS
(S.A.) IN ACRES |
| 1780's 1980's
STATE LAND WATER TOTAL | ESTIMATES SOURCE % S.A. ESTIMATES SOURCE % S.A. % LOST
AL 32,544,640 485,120 33,029,760 | 7,567,600 5 22.9% 3,783,800 5 11.5% -50%
AZ 72,680,320 221,440 72,901,760 | 931,000 9 1.3% 600,000 10 0.8% -36%
AR 33,392,000 594,560 33,986,560 | 9,848,600 11 29.0% 2,763,600 12 8.1% -72%
CA 100,183,680 1,379,840 101,563,520 | 5,000,000 13,14 4.9% 454,000 15,16 0.4% -91%
CO 66,428,800 289,920 66,718,720 | 2,000,000 17 3.0% 1,000,000 18 1.5% -50%
CT 3,116,800 88,960 3,205,760 | 670,000 9 20.9% 172,500 19 5.4% -74%
DE 1,268,480 48,000 1,316,480 | 479,785 20 36.4% 223,000 20 16.9% -54%
FL 34,647,040 2,831,360 37,478,400 | 20,325,013 21,22,23 54.2% 11,038,300 24 29.5% -46%
GA 37,246,080 434,560 37,680,640 | 6,843,200 11 18.2% 5,298,200 25 14.1% -23%
ID 52,906,880 563,200 53,470,080 | 877,000 9 1.6% 385,700 10 0.7% -56%
IL 35,761,280 334,720 36,096,000 | 8,212,000 27 22.8% 1,254,500 28 3.5% -85%
IN 23,160,960 65,280 23,226,240 | 5,600,000 29 24.1% 750,633 30 3.2% -87%
IA 35,867,520 158,080 36,025,600 | 4,000,000 31,32 11.1% 421,900 31,33 1.2% -89%
KS 52,515,840 133,120 52,648,960 | 841,000 9 1.6% 435,400 10 0.8% -48%
KY 25,504,640 348,160 25,852,800 | 1,566,000 34 6.1% 300,000 35 1.2% -81%
LA 28,899,200 2,155,520 31,054,720 | 16,194,500 11 52.1% 8,784,200 36 28.3% -46%
ME 19,797,120 1,460,480 21,257,600 | 6,460,000 37 30.4% 5,199,200 38 24.5% -20%
MD 6,330,240 439,040 6,769,280 | 1,650,000 11 24.4% 440,000 39 6.5% -73%
MA 5,013,120 271,360 5,284,480 | 818,000 37 15.5% 588,486 19 11.1% -28%
MI 36,363,520 894,720 37,258,240 | 11,200,000 40 30.1% 5,583,400 10 15.0% -50%
MN 50,744,960 3,058,560 53,803,520 | 15,070,000 11 28.0% 8,700,000 41 16.2% -42%
MS 30,309,120 229,120 30,538,240 | 9,872,000 42 32.3% 4,067,000 12 13.3% -59%
MO 44,189,440 409,600 44,599,040 | 4,844,000 11,43 10.9% 643,000 44 1.4% -87%
MT 93,185,920 982,400 94,168,320 | 1,147,000 9 1.2% 840,300 10 0.9% -27%
NE 48,974,080 451,200 49,425,280 | 2,910,500 11 5.9% 1,905,500 10 3.9% -35%
NV 70,328,960 416,640 70,745,600 | 487,350 45 0.7% 236,350 46 0.3% -52%
NH 5,781,120 173,440 5,954,560 | 220,000 9 3.7% 200,000 47 3.4% 9%
NJ 4,820,480 194,560 5,015,040 | 1,500,000 10 29.9% 915,960 48 18.3% -39%
NM 77,724,800 141,440 77,866,240 | 720,000 9 0.9% 481,900 10 0.6% -33%
NY 30,636,160 1,092,480 31,728,640 | 2,562,000 9,49 8.1% 1,025,000 49 3.2% -60%
NC 31,283,200 2,371,840 33,655,040 | 11,089,500 42 33.0% 5,689,500 12 16.9% -49%
ND 44,339,200 886,400 45,225,600 | 4,927,500 50 10.9% 2,490,000 51 5.5% -49%
OH 26,251,520 130,560 26,382,080 | 5,000,000 52 19.0% 482,800 10,52 1.8% -90%
OK 44,149,760 598,400 44,748,160 | 2,842,600 53,54,55 6.4% 949,700 53,54,55 2.1% -67%
OR 61,573,760 494,080 62,067,840 | 2,262,000 9 3.6% 1,393,900 10 2.2% -38%
PA 28,816,000 197,120 29,013,120 | 1,127,000 56 3.9% 499,014 39,56 1.7% -56%
RI 671,360 105,600 776,960 | 102,690 57 13.2% 65,154 58 8.4% -37%
SC 19,379,200 496,000 19,875,200 | 6,414,000 42 32.3% 4,659,000 12 23.4% -27%
SD 48,611,840 698,240 49,310,080 | 2,735,100 59 5.5% 1,780,000 51 3.6% -35%
TN 26,474,240 561,920 27,036,160 | 1,937,000 42 7.2% 787,000 12 2.9% -59%
TX 168,300,800 2,796,160 171,096,960 | 15,999,700 60 9.4% 7,612,412 61 4.4% -52%
UT 52,723,840 1,622,400 54,346,240 | 802,000 62 1.5% 558,000 63,64 1.0% -30%
VT 5,935,360 214,400 6,149,760 | 341,000 65 5.5% 220,000 19 3.6% -35%
VA 25,498,240 624,640 26,122,880 | 1,849,000 10 7.1% 1,074,613 39,66 4.1% -42%
WA 42,664,320 978,560 43,642,880 | 1,350,000 67 3.1% 938,000 67 2.1% -31%
WV 15,413,760 62,080 15,475,840 | 134,000 68 0.9% 102,000 39 0.7% -24%
WI 34,856,960 1,081,600 35,938,560 | 9,800,000 69 27.3% 5,331,392 70 14.8% -46%
WY 62,259,840 405,120 62,664,960 | 2,000,000 10 3.2% 1,250,000 71 2.0% -38%
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SUBTOTAL 1,899,526,400 34,672,000 1,934,198,400 221,129,638 11% 104,374,314 5% -53%
ALASKA 362,516,480 12,787,200 375,303,680 170,200,000 6 45.3% 170,000,000 7,8 45.3% -0.1%
HAWAII 4,112,000 3,200 4,115,200 58,800 26 1.4% 51,800 16,26 1.3% -12%
TOTAL 2,266,154,880 47,462,400 2,313,617,280 391,388,438 274,426,114 11.9% -30%
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NOTE: Surface area - There are some discrepancies between the total surface area of states. These differences are probably due to shifting river channels froming state borders. The area given is that presented by the U.S. Geological Survey, National Atlas of the United States, 1970.Wetland distribution and changes vary dramatically within states dependent on both geographical and/or land use patterns.
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