The Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual: Wetlands gives state and tribal water quality managers guidance for the first time on how to set nutrient criteria for wetlands. It does not contain specific nutrient criteria for any wetlands in the US, but it does present EPA's scientific recommendations on defensible approaches for developing regional nutrient criteria. The wetlands document provides background information on classifying wetlands, selecting criteria variables, designing monitoring programs, building a database analyzing nutrient and algal data, deriving regional criteria, and implementing management practices.

• Fact Sheet (November 24, 2008)
• Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual: Wetlands
• Wetlands Modules

Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual: Wetlands

• Document: Nutrient Criteria Technical Guidance Manual: Wetlands
  • Chapter 1: Introduction
  • Chapter 2: Overview of Wetland Science
  • Chapter 3: Classification of Wetlands
  • Chapter 4: Sampling Design for Wetland Monitoring
  • Chapter 5: Candidate Variables for Establishing Nutrient Criteria
  • Chapter 6: Database Development and New Data Collection
  • Chapter 7: Data Analysis
  • Chapter 8: Criteria Development
  • References
  • Appendices

Wetlands Modules

EPA prepared the following modules to give states and tribes "state-of-the-science" information that will help them develop biological assessment methods to evaluate both the overall ecological condition of wetlands and nutrient enrichment (one of the primary stressors on many wetlands). The wetlands modules are a starting point to help states and tribes establish biological and nutrient water quality criteria specifically refined for wetlands.

1. Introduction to Wetland Biological Assessment
2. Introduction to Wetland Nutrient Assessment  ¹ 
3. The State of Wetland Science  ¹ 
4. Study Design for Monitoring Wetlands
5. Administrative Framework for the Implementation of a Wetland Bioassessment Program  ¹ 
6. Developing Metrics and Indexes of Biological Integrity
7. Wetlands Classification
8. Volunteers and Wetland Biomonitoring
9. Developing an Invertebrate Index of Biological Integrity for Wetlands
10. Using Vegetation To Assess Environmental Conditions in Wetlands
11. Using Algae To Assess Environmental Conditions in Wetlands
12. Using Amphibians in Bioassessments of Wetlands
13. Biological Assessment Methods for Birds
14. Wetland Bioassessment Case Studies
15. Bioassessment Methods for Fish  ¹ 
16. Vegetation-Based Indicators of Wetland Nutrient Enrichment
17. Land-Use Characterization for Nutrient and Sediment Risk Assessment
18. Biogeochemical Indicators
19. Nutrient Loading
20. Wetland Hydrology

Top of Page