NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

Support for this project was provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under Agreement No. CX-821125-01-0 and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service under Agreement No. SCD-68-3475-3-161.

The Director, Grants Administration Division, has approved a deviation from 40 CFR 30.518 of EPA's Assistance Regulations. This approval permits a waiver of EPA's peer review process and submission of the draft final report. The recipient agrees that the following disclaimer will be added to all documents published under this project.

"Although the results described in this document have been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under Assistance Agreement X821125010 to the National Academy of Sciences, it has not been subjected to the Agency's peer and administrative review and therefore may not necessarily reflect the views of the Agency and no official endorsement should be inferred."

Cover art by Raphael Lopez, San Diego, California

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wetlands: characteristics and boundaries.

p. cm

William M. Lewis, Jr., chair.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Wetlands. 2. Wetland ecology. 3. Wetland conservation— Government policy—United States. I. Lewis, William M., 1945-. II. National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Characterization of Wetlands.

QH87.3W475 1995

333.91'8'0973—dc 20 95-440