Purpose
National Wetland
Condition Assessment
Fact Sheet ^
What is the National Wetland Condition Assessment?
The National Wetland Condition Assessment is a statistical survey of the quality of our
Nation's wetlands. The Wetlands Assessment is designed to:
• Determine regional and national ecological integrity of wetlands.
• Promote collaboration across jurisdictional boundaries.
• Build state and tribal capacity for monitoring and analyses.
• Achieve a robust, statistically-valid set of wetland data.
• Develop baseline information to evaluate progress.
This is one of a series of water surveys being conducted by, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, states, tribes, and other partners. In addition to wetlands, partners will
also study coastal waters, wadeable streams, rivers, and lakes in a revolving sequence.
The purpose of these surveys is to generate statistically-valid and environmentally
relevant reports on the condition of the Nation's water resources.
What is the goal of the Wetlands Assessment?
EPA will collaborate with State and Tribal partners to refine the three objectives of the
National Wetlands Condition Assessment:
1. Produce a national report that describes the quality of the nation's wetlands,
2. Help States and Tribes implement wetland monitoring and assessment programs
to guide policy development and project decision-making,
3. Advance the science of wetlands monitoring and assessment.
The sampling design for this survey is a probability-based network that will provide
statistically-valid estimates of condition for a population of wetlands with a known confidence. It is designed using
modern survey techniques. Sample sites are selected at random to represent the condition of wetlands across the
country.
Report on the
condition of the
Nation's wetlands.
Help States and
Tribes implement
wetland monitoring
and assessment
programs.
Advance the
science of wetlands
monitoring and
assessment.
Status and Trends 2005 Plot Locations
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How does EPA's Wetland
Assessment compliment the US
FWS Status and Trends Report?
The United States Fish and Wldlife Service
publishes a Status and Trends Report that
documents trends in the acreage of the nation's
wetlands. EPA's survey will establish a baseline
assessment of condition for some wetland types.
Taken together, these two efforts will provide
decision makers with scientifically-defensible
information documenting the current status of both
wetland quantity and quality in the United States.
EPA will work in partnership with FWS throughout
the design and implementation of the national
assessment. Through preliminary design
discussions, it has become clear that the Service's
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Wetlands Status and Trends plots offer one of the best starting points for a probabilistic national condition
assessment. Compared to other options, the plots provide more contemporary spatial wetlands data and the highest
probability of a given point actually being a wetland. EPA and FWS are discussing logistics for potentially
supplementing the Status and Trends plots in parts of the country with sparse coverage to produce a more equitable
distribution of sites.
What is the status of planning and design for the Wetlands Assessment?
EPA is currently in the research phase of the National Wetland Condition Assessment, and has identified several
significant challenges to designing and implementing a wetland assessment on a national scale. These include:
designing the best sample frame and methods to support a National
Report; selecting efficient, scientifically valid indicators; ensuring adequate
resources are available to conduct the Wetlands Assessment; maintaining
the resultant data; and building partnerships to most effectively use the
information gleaned from the Wetlands Assessment. To encourage the
development of more robust surface water monitoring strategies, EPA has
released basic guidance in the last several years. The 2011 wetland
survey will be an opportunity for EPA to apply those basic principles to the
National Wetland Condition Assessment.
To help inform decision-making related to the challenges outlined above,
EPA has initiated a number of different planning activities. These include:
• Re-invigorating the National Wetlands Monitoring and Assessment
Work Group (NWMAWG), a collection of state, tribal, and federal
partners. EPA expects this work group will help inform decision making
related to design of the national assessment.
• Tracking and supporting Regional Pilot Projects including a Gulf of
Mexico coastal wetlands survey and a Mid-Atlantic inland wetland
survey
• Continuing to work with partners to build state and tribal wetland
monitoring capabilities.
What is the schedule for the Wetlands Assessment?
The time line below lists the major phases of the Wetlands Assessment and the year(s) they will be accomplished.
Activities
2007 - 2009
Research
2010
2012
2013
Design
Field
Lab/Data
Report
Scientific issues
Policy issues
Supplemental data analysis
Methods refinement
Target population
Indicators
Field/ Lab practices
Quality assurance plan
Training
Site reconnaissance
Sample collection
Field quality assurance
Lab analysis
Lab quality assurance
Data entry
Data quality assurance
Data analysis
Presentations
Peer review
Final report
Contact(s):
Michael Scozzafava, OW (scozzafava.michaele@epa.gov)
Virginia Engle, ORD (engle.virginia@epa.gov)
Wetlands Division (4502T)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
Chris Faulkner, OW (faulkner.chris@epa.gov)
Mary Kentula, ORD (kentula.mary@epa.gov)
EPA-843-F-08-001
January 2008
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