Model “Operational Guidelines for Creating or Restoring Wetlands that are Ecologically Self-Sustaining” for Aquatic Resources Impacts Under the Corps Regulatory Program Pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act
By United States Army Corps of Engineers View PublicationIn its comprehensive report entitled Compensating for Wetland Losses Under the Clean Water Act, the National Research Council (NRC) provided ten guidelines to aid in planning and implementing successful mitigation projects ( Operational Guidelines for Creating or Restoring Wetlands that are Ecologically Self-Sustaining ; NRC, 2001). Please note that these guidelines also pertain to restoration and enhancement of other aquatic resource systems, such as streams. Each of the ten guidelines can generally be described as A) basic requirement for mitigation success, or B) guide for mitigation site selection. The following sections include both the original text of the NRC guidelines, in italics, as well as a discussion of how applicants and field staff can incorporate these guidelines into
the development and review of mitigation projects.