Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2014DE273B

Wetland Restoration and Mitigation Banking along the Cool Run: Ecosystem Service Analysis

Institute: Delaware
Year Established: 2014 Start Date: 2014-06-01 End Date: 2015-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $1,500 Total Non-Federal Funds: $2,775

Principal Investigators: Gerald Kauffman, Gerald Kauffman

Project Summary: Wetlands are protected by Section 404 of the Federal Clean Water Act which prohibits the discharge of fill or dredging of these natural aquatic systems. Under the regulations, wetlands that are filled or impacted by development are required to be replaced with wetland mitigation areas on a 2:1 or 3:1 aerial basis. The UD farm within the Cool Run subwatershed of the White Clay Creek National Wild and Scenic River has a significant wetland system on campus that can be used as a wetland bank to provide mitigation areas. The objectives of this research are map and identify the type and quality of the existing wetland system and identify likely wetland mitigation areas in the Cool Run Watershed that can be established as a wetland bank in accordance with Federal Clean Water Act criteria. This is a team project for two interns; tasks for this intern include: (1) Identify locations and type of wetland systems in the Cool Run watershed using GPS and GIS technology; (2) Research the costs of restoring wetlands for mitigation banking and then estimate the ecosystem services value (natural capital) of the existing/potential wetland system within the Cool Run watershed at the UD farm.