Potential Wetland Extent Along the Saint Marys River Between USGS Gaging Stations 04181500 and 04182000

The Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) is a voluntary program administered by the NRCS. It provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners and Tribes to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands in exchange for retiring eligible land from agriculture. For a site to be a wetland eligible for restoration, it must be in a zone with sustained or frequent flooding for a period of 7 consecutive days on average at least once every 2 years (a value termed the 7MQ2). This study calculated the 7MQ2 flows for all the U.S. Geological Survey streamgages within the selected study reaches. These flows were related to the stage discharge tables for each streamgage and a corresponding elevation was determined. By use of the water-surface elevations (“inundation elevations”) along the rivers, an approximate extent of potential wetland for a restoration in agricultural land can be mapped. As part of the study, a set of maps representing the estimated potential wetland extents for each study reach was generated in a geographic information system (GIS) application by combining (1) a digital water-surface plane representing the surface of inundation elevation that sloped in the downstream direction of flow and (2) land-surface elevation data. The map products from this study will aid the NRCS and its partners with the onsite inundation-zone verification in agricultural land for a potential restoration.