Wetland Restoration, Enhancement, Creation, & Construction

Updated 10/15/2008

The Wetland Team is responsible for the development of wetland restoration and enhancement technology development, and the delivery of this technology within NRCS through the publication of agency documents, scientific publications, and training. The Wetland Team, in conjunction with the Conservation Engineering Division, maintains Chapter 13 (Wetland Restoration, Enhancement, or Creation) of the Engineering Field Handbook. The team develops and maintains the National Technical Standards for Wetland Restoration (657), Wetland Enhancement (659), and Wetland Creation (658). In addition, the Team maintains technical coordination and delivery of Wetland Plant Identification training and the NRCS training courses in Wetland Restoration & Enhancement.

Engineering Field Handbook, Part 650, Chapter 13, Wetland Restoration, Enhancement, or Creation

The planning, design, implementation, and monitoring of wetland restoration, enhancement, or creation project requires a multidisciplinary approach involving the disciplines of engineering, biology, geology, and soil science, among others. The scope of this chapter has been expanded beyond the traditional National Engineering Handbook (NEH), Engineering Field Handbook (EFH) focus to reflect this approach. Included in the scope is the science of wetlands and tools to assess wetland function. Wetlands, for the purpose of this chapter, are defined as areas that have anaerobic soil conditions due to the presence of water, at or near the surface for a sufficient duration to support wetland vegetation. This chapter is intended to provide field personnel with guidance in restoring, enhancing, or creating wetlands. The material included is intended to be used with the policy contained in the Electronic Field Office Technical Guide (eFOTG).  (PDF, 150p, 3MB.

Wetland Restoration, Enhancement, and Management, Technical Note No-190-15

Wetland Restoration, Enhancement, and Management is designed to assist the NRCS field level of operation in their work by providing the most recent technical information available on specific topics. The publication is a compilation of papers on specific issues written by experts in that field. Each paper is an individual submission and stands alone, connected to the other papers in the publication only by topic similarity. In this way, individual papers can be updated and new papers added as wetland technology evolves.   (PDF,  375p, 47MB)

Wetland National Practice Standards

• 657 - Wetland Restoration
• 659 - Wetland Enhancement
• 658 - Wetland Creation
• 656 - Constructed Wetlands
• 644 - Wetland Wildlife Habitat Management
• 646 - Shallow Water Management for Wildlife

Technical Notes and other Technical Articles

• How to manipulate water in a new, restored or enhanced wetland to encourage plant establishment
• Wetland Plants: Their Function, Adaptation, and Relationship to Water Levels.
• Technical Note No. 190-72 : Noxious, Invasive, and Alien Plant Species: A Challenge in Wetland Restoration and Enhancement
• Technical Note No. 2 : Steam Water Surface Profile Modification for Wetland Restoration
• Wetland Restoration Information Series, Number 2: Application of a Soil Perturbation Index to Evaluate Created and Restored Wetlands 
• Wetland Restoration Information Series, Number 3: Evaluation of Reforestation in the Lower Mississippi Valley
• Wetland Restoration Information Series, Number 4: Use of Constructed Wetlands in Agricultural Environments as Breeding Habitat for Frogs
• Technical Note No. 190-72 : Noxious, Invasive, and Alien Plant Species: A Challenge in Wetland Restoration and Enhancement
• Technical Note No. 190-73 : Identification of Plant Species’ Trinomials with Varying Wetland Indicator Status Designations: Northeast Region