Surface-Water Depression Wetland 



c 

 o 



Water table may temporarily 

 rise to wetland level but ground- 

 water inflow is minor compared 

 to surface-water inflow. 



Ground-Water Depression Wetland 



c 

 o 





c 

 o 



Q. 



C 





Surface-Water Slope Wetland 



^'ow 



Lake or River 

 Floodwater 



Water table may temporarily 

 rise to wetland level, but ground- 

 water inflow is minor compared 

 to surface-water inflow. 



^itpljg'""' 



Ground-Water 

 Inflow 



Ground-Water Slope Wetland 



c 

 o 



c 

 o 



CD 



iyater 

 'able — — 



Ground-Water 

 Inflow 



Figure 5. Basic hydrologic characteristics of wetland sites. ^^ 



Visual-Cultural 



Visual-cultural or aesthetic values of wetlands arise from the fact that wetlands 

 provide visual contrast and diversity on the landscape as well as various educational 

 opportunities. Researchers in Massachusetts during the 1970s developed a system for 

 ranking freshwater wetlands for comparative visual-cultural values.--* They also 

 developed economic values associated with this ranking, based on public willingness 

 to pay for wetlands for aesthetic purposes.*^ The SCS" has employed a simple version 

 of this system for use in their Massachusetts wetland evaluation scheme. 



The concept of uniqueness of a wetland enters into some of the evaluation systems 

 that were developed in the 1970s."''"'25 jhe proposition is that certain wetlands 

 provide unique biological, geological, and historic conditions, or research potential 

 that merit protection at ail costs. It is usually suggested that relative ranking or 

 economic evaluation of wetlands of this character is inappropriate. To be effective, 



systems that include this uniqueness factor need to employ characteristics for 

 qualification that clearly distinguish such wetlands from other wetlands. Visual- 

 cultural evaluation techniques are in need of more field testing to determine 

 acceptance but few wetland regulatory programs consider this feature of wetlands. 



Wildlife 



The protection of wetlands as habitat for wild birds and mammals was the original 

 purpose of public wetland acquisition programs. This function and various attempts 



114 



