9460

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 9460
• Author: Wentz, W. A.
• Title: Wetlands Values and Management.
• USFW Year: 1981.
• USFW - Doc Type: Washington, D.C.
• Copyright Material: NO

grazing of wetlands can be a viable alter-
native to draining and attempting to grow
row crops.
Farmers receive several other direct
benefits from wetlands. Wetlands provide
catch basins to hold water in the fields so
it will soak in and provide increased soil
moisture. Some wetlands may help to
recharge local wells on individual farms
and they certainly provide a source of
water for livestock. Wetlands modify the
atmosphere in their immediate vicinity and
may provide a better growing environment
for crops on adjacent uplands. Wetlands
also help to trap sediment runoff from
plowed ground and thereby control on-
farm pollution of water supplies and help
to protect ponds and streams.

Values to Society

Wetlands have numerous values that
benefit society at large, but have only
questionable direct value to the individual
landowner. In some areas of the U.S.,
groundwater may be wholly or partly con-
trolled by wetland water regimes. There is
no doubt that society benefits from the
water pollution control values of wetlands.
Many wetland plants are efficient at
removing nutrients from water and a few
will even remove harsh Gontaminants,
such as mercury and other metals. Some
cities and industries are l~ven beginning to
use natural or man-madEl marshes as part
of their sewage treatment process. Wet-
lands also serve as sites for recycling and
trapping nutrients, such .as phosphorus,
that otherwise would be lost to our rivers
and eventually the oceans. All of these
nutrient and pollution control values help
to prevent the contamination of our rivers,
lakes, and groundwater.
When wetlands are abundant in an
area they can help to pmvent floods or to

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