1 10 • Wetlands: Their Use and Regulation 



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Photo credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 



NWTS estimates that between the mid-1950's and mid-1970's 11 million acres of wetlands or about 550,000 acres/yr 

 were converted to agricultural use through drainage and clearing 



such as changes in rice-culture practices that result 

 in fewer wetland species growing within ricefields; 

 and changes in seed varieties and equipment that 

 allow earlier planting and later harvests and tend 

 to eliminate wetland vegetation that might grow in 

 cultivated areas at other times of the year. 



Individual permits under section 404 generally 

 are not required for these direct and indirect con- 

 version activities, either because they occur in areas 

 covered by nationwide pennits, are exempted under 

 law, entail no dredge or fill activities, or involve 

 incidental discharges or vegetation clearing that falls 

 outside the Army Corps of Engineers guidelines for 

 regulated activities. Even in cases where the Corps 



requires an individual permit, it is likely that the 

 activity will be approved with few modifications due 

 to difficulties associated with demonstrating adverse 

 water quality and cumulative impacts from these 

 activities. (See ch. 8 for further discussion of these 

 issues.) 



In the opinion of some agricultural analysts, the 

 404 program has had a minimal effect on the con- 

 version of wetlands to agriculture or is viewed as 

 being a modest nuisance, but not a significant 

 hurdle for farmers. Although the importance of the 

 404 program varies in different locations, the Corps 

 generally gets involved in response to a complaint 

 or for very large projects. Monitoring potential ag- 



