Wetlands and the River

Past

Present

Future
The United States Congress declared the Upper Mississippi River a "nationally significant ecosystem and nationally significant navigation system" in 1986.

Wildlife refuges were established beginning in the 1920s.

Habitat restoration projects have taken place since the 1970s. Ducks Unlimited is aggressively purchasing wetlands for conservation and restoration. To date, they have set aside over 10 million acres.

On January 9, 2001 the US Supreme Court dealt a heavy blow to wetlands in Illinois, and the nation, with its decision in Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (SWANCC). The Court held that state and local governments, not the federal government, have the authority to regulate these "isolated" wetlands. Because Illinois has no state-level program in place for these critical areas, they are suddenly without any protection, except in the three counties (Lake, DuPage, and Kane), which have enacted county regulations.

 

 Today more than fifty percent of the river's natural floodplain is behind flood control levees. Wetlands Defined: natural water filters, keeping our water clear of pollution, and are essential for absorbing flood waters. The tie-in to the River Issue is that, according to American Rivers, “Over half of America's wetlands have been drained, developed and destroyed. Fish and birds that depend on wetlands for breeding, nesting grounds and nurseries have been devastated by loss of their natural habitat.” 

Wetlands contain a disproportionately large number of listed endangered species for their area. While wetlands comprise only 5 percent of the land base in the lower 48 states, they contained nearly 30 percent of the listed animal species and 15 percent of listed plant species. Aquatic habitats, especially streams, were found to house nearly one-third of the mammals and birds on the endangered species list.

30.3 million acres of wetlands have been drained in the Upper Mississippi River Basin states, which could store about 90 million acre-feet of water. 

An acre of wetlands can store up to 1.6 million gallons or five acre-feet of floodwater. The Galloway Report on the 1993 flood showed that states that had more wetlands, had less flooding.

 In Illinois, we have already lost over 85% of our original wetland acreage. Of Illinois’ estimated original 8,212,000 acres of wetlands, circa 1780, only 1,254,500 acres are estimated to still exist as of the 1980’s, the last time a statewide survey was done by the state.

 In Missouri, 87% of its wetlands have been drained and the state has sustained $3.4 billion in damages due to loss of wetlands. The economic value of Illinois’ remaining wetlands is $7.5 billion, according to the Clean Water Network. These areas protect our families from flood damage by absorbing rainwater, filter pollutants out of our water supplies, and provide critical habitat for many species of wildlife. 

Also, wetlands provide habitat for popular game species of waterfowl and fish.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources estimates that over a third of Illinois’ remaining wetlands have suddenly lost all federal protection as a result of the decision. Unless we act to protect them, nothing is stopping bulldozers from destroying these critical areas.

 

 *We need to give continual testimony at the Corps of Engineer’s Public hearings and meetings regarding the Missouri Flow Frequency Debate, the Upper Mississippi/Illinois Waterway Rehab/Expansion Study, and the Upper Mississippi Comprehensive Plan

*We need to make sure that "prior converted wetlands" are regulated as a wetland resource, not an agriculture field that can be turned into an industrial, commercial, or other use.

*The Choteau Island Project, in conjunction with the Department of Natural Resources and Confluence Greenway, Trailnet, Inc., and the Trust For Public Land.

*The Corps needs to consider regulating authority over isolated wetlands and recommend to Congress that they restore their authority over these wetlands that have no protection.

*We need to restore protections to wetlands that the federal government is no longer protecting by requiring a permit from the state or federal EPA, before anyone could destroy a wetland.