Kansas Conservation Resources and Services

Open .pdf files on this site:

Wetland protection

A "wetland" is an area that is inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support vegetation that is adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas. Example of a Wetland - Photo Provided by NRCS

Wetlands perform many functions that result in successful and healthy ecosystems. The importance of wetlands can be grouped into three main categories:

Water quality - Wetlands can act as a sink for sediments, inorganic and organic nutrients, and toxic materials. Various processes remove these materials from the water column, enabling them to be transformed into nontoxic substances, taken up by plants, or buried in soil or peat accumulations. This leads to improved water quality.

Wildlife Habitat - Wetlands also provide habitat to many fish and waterfowl.

Hydrologic Processes - Wetlands influence the dynamics of water flow by intercepting and storing storm runoff from uplands and soaking up floodwaters from adjacent water bodies. Wetlands stabilize streambanks, and lake shores from the forces of stream flow. These hydrologic functions of wetlands are important in reducing flood damage, minimizing erosion, maintaining groundwater aquifers, and supporting base flows during the dry season for aquatic species.