Quick Facts
- In the past 10 years, our scientists have delineated thousands of acres of wetlands.
- Wetlands comprise only 5% of the land surface in the U.S., but are home to an estimated 31% of plant species.
For many of us, water simply flows from the faucet, and we think little about it beyond this point of contact. We have lost a sense of respect for the wild river, for the complex workings of a wetland, for the intricate web of life that water supports.
- Sandra Postal, Lost Oasis, Facing Water Scarcity, 1997
Since the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972, identification and protection of wetlands has been a national mandate. Sovereign's experience provides clients with top expertise in local, state, and federal regulations. Sovereign's ability to rapidly identify potential environmental and ecological constraints enables us to provide regulatory and site design support to clients as well as streamline the process from the conceptual phase to construction oversight.
Wetlands are an integral component of many ecosystems, providing critical wildlife habitat as well as storm water control and pollution filtration. Increased awareness about the value of wetlands, the pressure to develop land, and the push to preserve and protect wetlands has resulted in rapid changes to federal, state, and local wetland regulations and ordinances.
Sovereign has completed hundreds of wetlands projects ranging in size from small commercial developments in wetland transition areas to extensive linear right-of-way delineation and permitting projects crossing through multiple states, habitats, and jurisdictions. Our staff excels at developing and implementing cost-efficient and low-impact solutions that are tailored to each project's land use, habitats, and ecosystems.
Sovereign’s wetland services include:
- Field investigations, technical data analysis, and reporting
- Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) mapping
- historical data & records review
- Wetland identification and delineation
- Wetland functional assessments
- Wetland mitigation and monitoring, specifically creation, enhancement, restoration, and preservation
- Contaminated wetland soil and sediment remediation
- Municipal, state, and federal wetland, transition, & critical area permit applications and regulatory compliance
- Stream, floodplain, and riparian corridor delineation and mapping
- Invasive species identificaiton, eradication, and management