Notes on Formal Wetland Definitions

Notes from Formal Wetland Definitions Section of Wetlands by Mitsch and Gosselink

Definition for Ecologists (pg 35)
From the 1979 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report: Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States:

"Wetlands are lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface of the land and is covered by shallow water.... Wetlands must have one or more of the following three attributes: (1) at least periodically, the land supports predominantly hyrophytes; (2) the substrate is predominantly undrained hydric soil; and (3) the substrate is nonsoil and is saturated with water or covered by shallow water at some time during the growing season of each year."

Definition for Land Managers (pg 38)
From the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Section 404 of the 1977 Clean Water Act amendments:

"The terms "wetlands" means those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions.  Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas. (33 CFR 328.3 9b0; 1984)"

"Swampbuster" provision of 1985 Food Security Act (pg 39)
From the NRCS, Act (16 CFR 801(a)(16);1985):

"The term 'wetland' excetpt where such term is part of the term 'converted wetland' means land that -
(A) has a predominance of hydric soils;
(B) is inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support a prevalence of hydrophytic vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions; and
(C) inder normal circumstances does support a prevalence of such vegetation.
For the purposes of this Act and and other Act, this term shall not include lands in Alaska identified as having high potential for agricultural development which have a predominance of permafrost soils."

Jurisdictional wetlands - describes lands covered legally by Section 404 of the Clean Water Act or the "swampbusters" section of the Food Security Act.