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 Mr. Havel 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 of NES is a WDNR Assured Wetland Delineator.

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 brief periods. In these situations, the soils may or may not have hydric indicators and the vegetation community will likely be composed of a mix of upland and wetland species. If one of these criteria is missing, the site is likely upland. Documenting the three wetland criteria is critical in these determinations. If the site is questionable, contact NES or another wetland professional for assistance.

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 a wetland delineation prior to having the WDNR on-site will be important as this could save you money. NES can help determine the presence of a wetland and mark their location in one step, saving you the WDNR site visit fee. In many cases, we will also be able to conduct wetland determinations for a fee similar to the WDNR.

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 the hydrology criteria. In most cases, these areas will also support wetland plants and show signs of soil reduction indicating the presence of hydric soils. The presence of all three criteria indicates the presence of wetland.

Section 404 of the Clean Water Act: Those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater (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, bogs, and similar areas (40 CFR 232.2(r)). Wisconsin DNR: “Wetland” is defined by state statute as “an area where water is at, near or above the land surface long enough to be capable of supporting aquatic or hydrophytic vegetation and which has soils indicative of wet conditions.” Section 23.32(1), Wisconsin Statutes.