This report presents procedural guidelines and techniques for state highway agencies (SHAs), their consultants, and others for the design and construction of replacement wetlands. It synthesizes experience and research through 1991 and recommends an eight-step process for project sponsors to follow when undertaking wetland replacement. That proces includes steps for locating, designing, constructing, monitoring, and maintaining replacement wetlands. For purpose of this manual, "wetland replacement" is defined as a design or implemented design for a constructed, restored, or enhanced wetland. The researchers who prepared the report carried out the research in four separate tasks. They a) examined existing wetland replacement technical literature and scientific data, b) interviewed personnel with wetland replacement experience, c) developed a recommended procedure for a wetland replacement process (WRP), and d) prepared this final document, Guidelines for the development of wetland replacement areas, report 25-3, for the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). This report is a technical document. As such, it does not focus on wetland regulations and policies. Toward the end of the introduction, however, the research team identifies steps in the WRP where state and federal wetland regulations and policies may apply. The research team assumes that before moving forward with a wetland replacement project, users of this report will have complied with applicable federal, state, and local regulations and policies requiring wetland impact avoidance and minimization. (A)
Abstract