Siting of Wetland Mitigation in Northeast Minnesota Issues, Recommendations, and Alternatives

Document
Description
In recent years, several large off-site wetland replacement projects were completed that focused attention on the need for better direction and implementation of federal and state mitigation policies. These projects did not contribute to the integrity of the impacted watershed, nor were they located in areas where wetland restoration is a high priority. Some questioned whether agency guidelines had been correctly applied. These projects highlighted the need to address issues associated with wetland mitigation in NE Minnesota. The Interagency Northeast Mitigation Siting Team was established in response to this need. The mission of this interagency effort is to evaluate and reconcile federal and state wetland replacement siting requirements and make recommendations for how best to achieve high quality wetland replacement consistent with watershed needs, the federal Clean Water Act, and statewide wetland goals, while maintaining the ecological integrity of watersheds in NE Minnesota where impacts are permitted. The interagency team identified several recommendations to better achieve and balance these seemingly competing goals.
Date Issued
2014-03-07
Number of Pages
34
Decade
Main Topic
Rights Holder
Minnesota Water Research Digital Library
Rights Management
Creative Commons