Section 404 of the Clean water act establishes the major federal program that regulates activities in wetlands. The law sets certain environmental criteria for permitting projects in wetlands as well as the procedures for determining whether the project is in the public interest. States have also enacted wetland protection laws, however fewer than 20 states have laws to protect inland wetlands. Where they exist, such laws often regulate only specific activities or apply only to certain wetland types or size. Restored wetlands have resulted in accruing the same benefits that the original wetlands imparted to the environment.
Wetlands are an important part of our national heritage.
They provide a vital link between our land and water resources. As wetlands are lost the remaining wetlands become even more valuable. The extensive wetlands of Northern Minnesota are valuable natural resource. Environmental Protection Agency. D.C. Kohnke, Helmut and D.P. Franzmier, 1995.