March, 1997
Wetlands Research Update
Prepared by: Richard Sumner, Regional Liaison
Western Ecology Division, USEPA-National Health and Environmental Effects Research
Laboratory
Corvallis, Oregon 97333
The organizational structure of EPA-sponsored
wetland research is currently being reevaluated.
From the process will emerge a new and
broadened research agenda for developing a
risk-based approach to wetland protection. The
EPA wetland research team will be expanded to
take advantage of expertise located across
EPA's National Health and Environmental
Effects Research Laboratory. New studies will
be conducted to complement current research
objectives that are:
mm
1) Determine how wetlands contribute to
environmental quality, both individually and as
an aggregate within the landscape;
(2)	quantify the effects of stressors and
landscape factors on wetland function to assess
the risks posed by the associated loss and
degradation of wetlands;
(3)	develop risk management options through
the use of site prioritization and performance
criteria for wetland management;
(4)	design and test monitoring systems that can
assess wetland function and condition, and the
effectiveness of risk reduction activities (i.e.,
adaptive management).
LANDSCAPE FUNCTION	
Development of conceptual landscape models is
a fundamental step in an analysis of the
interaction of wetlands with other ecosystems
within broad geographic areas, such as
ecoregions and watersheds. The models serve
as a guide for selecting appropriate
environmental indicators of ecological risk and
establishing rules for their combination in
overlay analysis (i.e., using a Geographic
Information System - GIS). Models for
landscape characterization also are used in the

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Wetlands Research Update - Page 2
design of empirical studies needed to enhance
confidence in the results from such analysis.
Prioritization of watersheds in the
Prairie Pothole Region proceeds with an
appraisal of results produced from
landscape models used in synoptic
assessment.
The EPA/ORD is continuing work in the
Prairie Pothole Region to refine its synoptic
approach for the rapid assessment of
wetlands across broad geographic scales
(Abbruzzese and Leibowitz, inf press, and
Leibowitz et al., 1992b). The indicator-
based approach enables wetland managers
to produce statewide maps that rank
subunits of the landscape (e.g.,
watersheds) relative to the risk of
cumulative wetland loss and/or the
potential effectiveness of ecosystem
restoration.
Research currently is focused on the
development of procedures for appraising
the landscape models used to, drive
synoptic iassessment. The procedures are
based on Qualitative Structural Equation
Modeling (QSEM), a methodology being
developed by the Landscape Function
Project. It is an adaptation of Structural
Equation Modeling (Bollen, 1989, and
Johnson et al., 1991).
Using QSEM, synoptic indicators are
graphically depicted in a manner
resembling a flow chart. The resulting
conceptual model is further analyzed, and a
subjective level of confidence is attributed
to stated relationships between
environmental indicators (e.g., area of
hydric soils) and synoptic endpoints (e.g.,
wetland restoration potential for waterfowl
habitat). More rigorous testing of indicator
accuracy will follow with the acquisition and
analysis of empirical data. The empirical
data are currently being collected in
cooperation with the Biological Resources.
Division of the U.S. Geological Survey.
Results of the synoptic assessment of the
Prairie Pothole Region, with technical
documentation, is expected in December
1997.

Synoptic assessments also are continuing in
Arkansas and Mississippi for the prioritization of
areas ecologically suitable for wetland
restoration. Two EPA/ORD-funded projects are
being managed by the University of Arkansas
and Arkansas State University. Also, a new
complementary project is being initiated by the
U.S. Geological Survey with support from EPA's
Regional Office in Atlanta. Work is focused on
the White River Basin of Arkansas and the
Yazoo River Basin of Mississippi. Current tasks
include the development of landscape
characterization models and indicators for
synoptic assessment. Project reports are
anticipated in early 1998.
Lastly, the EPA/ORD is cooperating with the
U.S. Geological Survey to complete a study on
the DELMARVA Peninsula. A manuscript
describing study results is in preparation. It will
discuss relationships between the water quality
improvement function of wetlands and the
hydrogeomorphic character of surrounding
landscape.
WETLAND POPULATIONS	
The EPA/ORD is continuing to analyze long-
term data sets that have been collected by
monitoring wetlands in Oregon. The information
is being used to demonstrate and refine
EPA/ORD's "An Approach to Improving Decision
Making in Wetlands Restoration and Creation"
(Kentula et al., 1992). Newly commissioned

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Wetlands Research Update - Page 3
research in New Jersey will serve to widen the
geographic scope and range of issues
addressed by the Oregon project. One of the
overall objectives of research is the
development of protocols for characterizing
populations of wetlands. Protocols are being
developed for multiple purposes including
(1)	establishment of wetland reference condition
for regional goal setting (e.g., designated use
under state water quality standards),
(2)	performance evaluation of individual
wetlands, and (3) reporting on wetland condition
across a range of landscape and land use
settings.
More specifically, new results from EPA/ORD's
Oregon Wetland Study continue to demonstrate
the efficacy of using information from
established monitoring programs to develop
wetland management strategies.
Natural wetlands and mitigation projects
exhibit hydrologic differences within
urban land use settings.
Hydrologic conditions are critical to the
establishment and persistence of wetlands.
Therefore, it is important to understand how
the landscape setting of both natural
wetlands and mitigation projects influences
their hydrologic regimes. EPA/ORD has
been monitoring the hydrologic
characteristics of 52 natural and mitigation
wetlands in the Portland, Oregon,
metropolitan area. Early results show
considerable hydrologic variability among
wetlands in terms of.both short-term and
seasonal dynamics. During individual
storm events, land use appears to be the
most important factor affecting changes in
water level. Both natural wetlands and
projects in highly urban settings have
exhibited large and rapid changes in water
level.
differences in hydrologic conditions have
been observed between naturally occurring
wetlands and mitigation projects. In
naturally occurring wetlands there is a
seasonal progression of declining water
levels during late spring and summer as
standing water, typically <0.5m deep, dries
out to a shallow groundwater surface up to
a meter below the land surface. In
contrast, standing water in wetland projects
is maintained at a nearly constant level
through the summer months. The
management implication is that mitigation
projects should be designed to encourage
a recovery of the dynamic hydrologic
regime, as opposed to simply keeping the
project site wet. More importantly, project
goals should reflect the true capacity of
restoration sites to recover a more natural
hydrologic regime.
The EPA/ORD also is continuing to explore how
monitoring procedures and results can be
extrapolated to different geographical regions.
New research by Rutgers University to
explore wetland function and variability
in urban and suburban landscapes.
The EPA/ORD has competitively awarded a
cooperative agreement to Dr. Joan
Ehrenfeld of Rutgers University. Her study
will entail the characterization and
monitoring of wetlands located in the
transportation corridor of northern and
central New Jersey. The corridor is
comprised of a number of counties affected
by a complex of major highways including
the New Jersey Turnpike, the Garden State
Parkway, Interstates 80, 78, and 280, and
an emerging transportation corridor along
Interstate 287. The objective of research is
the development of appropriate environ-
On a seasonal basis, however, notable

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Wetlands Research Update - Page 4
mental indicators and assessment
procedures for evaluating the function and
condition of wetlands in urban and
suburban landscapes. The study is
proceeding with the selection of reference
wetland sites, classified by physiographic
province, hydrogeo-morphic and land-use
setting, and of an indicator variable set
(e.g., using herbaceous vegetation as an
indicator of disturbance). Study results
should prove useful to wetland managers
interested in knowing the attainable quality
of natural wetlands in an urban setting, and
thereby setting benchmarks for ecosystem
restoration.
The EPA/ORD-funded monitoring projects.also
are being closely linked with other EPA funded
efforts in the states and as described under the
Technical Information Transfer section of the
Update. Lastly, the EPA/ORD is moving with its
research cooperators towards publication of a
special issue of Restoration Ecology. It will offer
11 papers reporting on various methods for
prioritizing sites within watersheds suitable for
riparian restoration. The special issue is the
culmination of five years of research in
California, Colorado, and Oregon. Information
presented in the publication is expected to foster
implementation of EPA's new River Corridor and
Wetlands Restoration Initiative. Publication of
the special issue is expected in June 1997.
WETLAND FUNCTION 		
Information on relationships between
environmental stressors and the condition of
wetlands is needed for a risk-base|d approach to
wetland protection. New research results are
providing managers with insight into the capacity
of wetlands to withstand various types of
disturbance in addition to their direct conversion
to uplands.
Wetlands can be degraded by
agricultural runoff containing the
herbicide atrazine.
The restoration of riverine and prairie
pothole wetlands is often proposed as a
way to reduce risks posed to surface
waters in agricultural landscapes by
nonpoint source pollution. However,
recently completed research by EPA and
the University of Minnesota indicates that
the sustainability of some natural wetlands
and restoration projects can be
compromised if they are exposed over time
to the widely-used herbicide atrazine
(Detenbeck et al., 1996). The finding is
based upon experiments conducted in
wetland mesocosms at EPA's Ecological
Research Station in Monticello, Minnesota.
During experimentation wetland
mesocosms were treated with atrazine at
concentrations typical of those observed in
Midwestern surface waters following spring
runoff. Results showed that the net
productivity of periphyton was significantly
depressed in the treated wetlands at
concentrations > 25mg/l atrazine.
Dissolved nutrient concentra-tions also
increased in treated mesocosms after two
weeks. The implication is that atrazine
exposure will disrupt primary productivity in
wetlands, and thereby compromise water
quality improvement functions. The
amount and nature of disruption will vary,
depending upon the level of atrazine in
surface runoff and its retention time within
a wetland.
In closely related research, the EPA/ORD is
preparing manuscripts that describe the effects
of sedimentation and changing water regimes on
wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region.
Discussion is focused on how wetland condition
and function can vary in response to
conservation practices implemented for the
control of sedimentation and related nonpoint
source pollution. Such practices include the
reestablishment of vegetation buffers around

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Wetlands Research Update - Page 5
wetlands using farm operator incentives
provided under USDA's Conservation and
Wetland Research Programs.
Lastly, EPA/ORD research is continuing on the
topic of establishing reference conditions for
wetlands along the shores of Lake Superior and
Lake Michigan. Current studies are exploring
the use of fish as an indicator of wetland
condition. More specific research objectives are
focused on (1) the movement of energy and
nutrients between wetland and open water
systems, and (2) how best to address the
widespread occurrence of exotic species (e.g.,
Eurasian ruffe) during the process of
establishing reference condition.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
TRANSFER ACTIVITIES	
Over the last year, the EPA/ORD has
contributed resources and expertise to the
following activities performed in collaboration
with the EPA Regional Offices, states, and
tribes. Several of the activities directly support
Agency initiatives for community-based
environmental protection.
•	Description of bioindicators for assessing
ecological integrity of prairie wetlands - This
new document serves as a reference on the use
of various environmental indicators and related
metrics for evaluating the condition of wetlands
located in the Prairie Pothole Region of the
country (Adamus, 1996). It highlights the use of
algae and invertebrates as robust indicators of
wetland exposure to excessive stress.
•	Compilation of amphibian toxicity data for
water quality criteria chemicals - There is
increasing recognition that amphibian data
should be included in the derivation of water
quality criteria. While water quality criteria
protective of fishes afso may protect
amphibians, exceptions may occur in wetlands
or ephemeral water bodies. The purpose of this
new EPA/ORD report is to consolidate
amphibian toxicity data into forms useful for
individuals interested in the derivation and
support of ambient water quality criteria
{Schuytema and Nebeker, 1996).
•	The establishment of wetland reference
condition in the states — Information from
EPA-funded studies in Oregon, Minnesota,
Ohio, and Pennsylvania is being used to
develop protection and restoration criteria that
reflect the inherent variability of wetlands,
including their relative functions and conditions.
•	The development and validation of
hydrogeomorphic-based (HGM) approaches
for wetland assessment - The EPA/ORD
recently commissioned and distributed a report
entitled, "Background and Recommendations for
Establishing Reference Wetlands in the
Piedmont of the Carolinas and Georgia"
(Brinson et al. 1996). Current attention is
focused on the development of a conceptual
framework that can link the HGM approach with
a multimetric approach developed for stream
ecosystems called the index of biological
integrity or IBI {Karr, 1986, and Karr and
Kerans, 1992).
•	Methods development for biological
assessment and the establishment of
biological criteria for wetlands - An
examination of the use of biological criteria for
wetlands is being completed by Dr. Jim Karr,
University of Washington, under an agreement
with EPA's Regional Office in Seattle. It was
funded by EPA's Office of Science and
Technology. A final report is being prepared by
Dr. Karr in response to peer review comments.
The report discusses the HGM-based approach
to wetlands assessment in context with a
proposed IBI-based approach. The report
should be available for distribution in the spring
of 1997.

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Wetlands Research Update - Page 6
® Technical review of new research on the
geographical prioritization of wetland
restoration activities along the Platte River of
Nebraska -- A new wetland study has been
initiated under a cooperative agreement
between EPA's Regional Office in Kansas City
and the University of Nebraska. Scientific
leadership for the effort is being provided by Dr.
Dennis Jelinski of The Queen's University,
Ontario, Canada. Researchers will construct a
conceptual landscape model that will be used to
derive alternative landscape design scenarios
for the prioritization of wetland restoration
activities along the Platte River of Nebraska.
9 Evaluating the effects of ecosystem
protection in the Clackamas River Basin of
Oregon — In support of the President's Forest
Plan for the Pacific Northwest, EPA/ORD has
funded new cooperative research to evaluate
and predict the effects of multiple, relatively
small environmental protection actions on the
ecological function and condition of larger
landscape units (e.g., watersheds). In
particular, information from the study will be
transferred to local communities in the form of
methods and approaches for establishing
environmental benchmarks. Benchmarks are
used to gauge the success of conservation
practices towards meeting the environmental
goals identified for a watershed. They are
based upon an established reference condition,
and they are described by means of
environmental indicators. A cooperative
agreement for the project was competitively
awarded to the Pacific Rivers Council. Dr.
Charles Dewberry and Dr. Jim KaiT are the
principal researchers of the study.1
• Analyzing the effects of past, present, and
future stresses on the ecological resources
of the mid-Willamette Valley, Oregon —
The project consists of two separate studies.
The first study, led by researchers from the
University of Oregon, builds upon past
EPA/ORD-funded research conducted in
Monroe County, Pennsylvania (Steinitz et al.,
1994) and the Camp Pendleton region of
Southern California (Steinitz et al., 1996). A
new report, expected in March 1997, will
document an array of future land-use
development scenarios for the Oregon study
area, and predict how each might affect
ecological resources including water quality and
biodiversity. Study methods and results will be
transferred to local county government in
support of land use planning.
A second team from Oregon State University is
concurrently completing a time-series historic
reconstruction of the mainstem of the Willamette
River. Results from the Oregon State study will
be used to produce a series of landscape
designs that geographically prioritize river
corridors most suitable for ecological
restoration. Corollary studies also have been
initiated by EPA/ORD to develop environmental
indicators and benchmarks for use in evaluating
the effects of ecological restoration and related
stewardship activities in the study area.

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Wetlands Research Update - Page 7
RECENT PUBLICATIONS AND
CITED LITERATURE	
.^3

o.

The following publications may be obtained through a
library. Inquiries about EPA publications may be
directed to EPA's Center for Environmental Research
Information, Mailstop G72, 26 West Martin Luther
King Boulevard, Cincinnati, OH 45268 - Telephone
(513) 569-7562.
Abbruzzese, B. and S.G. Leibowitz(1n pres§) A
synoptic approach for assessing cumuliBveimpacts
to wetlands. Environmental Management.
Adamus, P.R. 1996. Bioindicators for assessing
ecological integrity of prairie wetlands. EPA/600/R-
96/082. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
National Health and Environmental Effects Research
Laboratory, Western Ecology Division, Corvallis, OR.
Bollen, K.A. 1989. Structural Equations and Latent
Variables. Wiley-lnterscience, John Wiley and Sons,
Inc., New York, NY.
Brinson M.M., W.L. Nutter, R. Rheinhardt, and B.
Pruitt. 1996. Background and recommendations for
establishing reference wetlands in the Piedmont of
the Carolinas and Georgia. EPA/600/R-96/057. U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, National Health
and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory,
Western Ecology Division, Corvallis, OR.
Johnson, M.L., D.G. Huggins, and F. DeNoyelles, Jr.
1991. Ecosystem Modeling with LISREL: A new
approach for measuring direct and indirect effects.
Ecological Applications 1(4): 383-398.
Karr, J.R. et al. 1986. Assessing biological integrity
in running waters: A method and its rationale. Special
Publication 5, Illinois Natural History Survey, Urbana,
IL.
Karr, J.R. and B.L. Kerans. 1992. Components of
biological integrity: Their definition and use in
development of an invertebrate IBI. Pages 1-16 in
T.P. Simon and W.S. Davis, eds. Environmental
Indicators: Measurement and Assessment Endpoints,
EPA-905/R-92/003, Environ. Sci. Div. USEPA,
Chicago, IL.
Kentula, M.E., R.E. Brooks, S.E. Gwin, C.C. Holland,
A.D. Sherman, and J.C. Sifneos. 1992. An
Approach to Improving Decision Making in Wetland
Restoration and Creation. Island Press, Washington
D.C.
Leibowitz, S.G., E.M. Preston, L.Y. Arnaut, N.E.
Detenbeck, C.A. Hagley, M.E. Kentula, R.K. Olson, /rw-^0
W.D. Sanville, and R.R. Sumner. 1992(a). Wetlands^-j^j
Research Plan FY92-96: An Integrated Risk-Based
Approach. Edited by Joan P. Baker. EPA/600/R-
92/060. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Environmental Research Laboratory, Corvallis, OR.

Leibowitz, S.G., B. Abbruzzese, P.R. Adamus, L.E.
Hughes, and J.T. Irish. 1992(b). A Synoptic
Approach to Cumulative Impact Assessment: A
Proposed Methodology. Edited by S.C, McCannell
and A. J. Hairston. EPA/600/R-92/167ju.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental
Research Laboratory, Corvallis, OR.
Magee, T.K., S.E. Gwin, R.G. Gibson, C.C. Holland,
J.E. Honea, P.W. Shaffer, J.C. Sifneos, and M.E. ^ f)
Kentula. 1993. Research Plan and Methods Manual
for the Oregon Wetland Study. Document production
by K. Miller. EPA/600/R-93/072. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, Environmental Research
Laboratory, Corvallis, OR.
Schuytema, G.S. and A.V. Nebeker. 1996.	^ .
Amphibian toxicity data for water quality criteria 0 j 1R
chemicals. EPA/600/R-92/124. U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, National Health and
Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Western
Ecology Division, Corvallis, OR.
Steinitz, C., E. Bilda, J.S. Ellis, T. Johnson, Y. Hung,
E. Katz, P. Meijerink, A. Shearer, H.R. Smith, A.
Sternberg, and D. Olson. 1994. Alternative futures
for Monroe County, Pennsylvania. Harvard
University, Graduate School of Design, Cambridge,
MA.
Steinitz, C., M. Binford, P. Cote, T. E. Edwards Jr., S.
Ervin, R.T.T. Forman, C. Johnson, R. Keister, D.
Mouat, D. Olson, A. Shearer, R. Toth and R. Wills.
1996. Biodiversity and landscape planning:
Alternative futures for the region of Camp Pendleton,
California. Harvard University, Graduate School of
Design, Cambridge, MA

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