CORPS OF ENGINEERS WETLANDS DELINEATION MANUAL 



PART I: INTRODUCTION 

 Background 



1. Recognizing the potential for continued or accelerated degradation 

 of the Nation's waters, the US Congress enacted the Clean Water Act (here- 

 after referred to as the Act) , formerly known as the Federal Water Pollution 

 Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1344). The objective of the Act is to maintain and 

 restore the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the waters of the 

 United States. Section 404 of the Act authorizes the Secretary of the Army, 

 acting through the Chief of Engineers, to issue permits for the discharge of 

 dredged or fill material into the waters of the United States, including 

 wetlands. 



Purpose and Objectives 



Purpose 



2. The purpose of this manual is to provide users with guidelines and 

 methods to determine whether an area is a wetland for purposes of Section 404 

 of the Act. 



Objectives 



3. Specific objectives of the manual are to: 



a. Present technical guidelines for identifying wetlands and 

 distinguishing then from aquatic habitats and other 

 nonwetlands. * 



b. Provide methods for applying the technical guidelines. 



c. Provide supporting information useful in applying the technical 

 guidelines. 



* Definitions of terms used in this manual are presented in the Glossary, 

 Appendix A. 



