Knowledge Base

A good regulatory definition of the term "wetland" may be found in the Federal Clean Water Act as: "those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs and similar areas." In practice, the term is also used interchangeably with general terms: "conservation land", "protected land", "open space", "special conservation", "drainage area", "the portion of my lawn I cannot mow until August"; and more. The Conservation Commission and its related agencies cumulatively consider many of these terms "wetland resource areas" or simply "resource areas".