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1. Is there a difference between coastal wetlands and inland wetlands? I thought wetlands were all the same kind?

Coastal wetlands, which are also called tidal wetlands, are associated with Long Island Sound and the salt water. The Department of Environmental Protection Office of Long Island Sound Programs and the Madison Coastal Area Management Agency (Planning and Zoning Commission) regulate uses in and near coastal wetlands. Inland wetlands generally contain only fresh water and are poorly drained soils, and these are the types of wetlands that the Inland Wetlands Agency regulates.

2. How do I know if I have wetlands on my property?

First, you might call the Inland Wetlands Office and speak with Robert Kuchta, (Inland Wetlands Enforcement Officer) or visit the Land Use Office in the Town Hall, to look at maps of your property to see if there are any mapped wetlands of your property. If the maps don't clearly show any mapped wetlands, it might also require a site visit from the Inland Wetlands Officer, who would give you a good indication of whether or not you own Inland Wetlands. He might then give you a list of certified soil scientists who are registered in Connecticut to determine soil types. The soil scientist would survey your property for Inland Wetland Soils and work with a surveyor to plot them on a map of your property.

3. Why are wetlands important?

There are many reasons wetlands are important. They are an important component of the water cycle; essential to providing an adequate clean supply of surface and underground water, to maintaining hydrological stability and control of flooding and erosion; to recharging and purification of groundwater, essential to the existence of many forms of animal, aquatic and plant life.

If you have a groundwater well that supplies your drinking water, much of the water that reaches your well comes through the nearby wetland. The wetland is an excellent filter, cleaning out any potential pollution.

Many of our wetland areas provide for open space, as well as create visual and aesthetic diversity in our environment.

4. What are inland wetlands?

Wetlands are more than just ponds, water bodies and streams.

Wetlands means land, including submerged land as defined in Section 2.1 (kk) of the Town of Madison Inland Wetland Regulations, which consists of any of the soil types designated as very poorly drained, poorly drained, alluvial and floodplain.

Areas of the Town are mapped that designate Inland Wetland soil types, but there are also many areas that are unmapped due to their small size (under 1 acre).

5. I have a backyard that doesn't look "wet." Can I extend my lawn or put in a "playscape" for my kids in that area?

The presence or absence of water doesn't automatically qualify or disqualify an area as Inland Wetlands. Inland Wetlands are determined mostly by soil type, as determined by a certified soil scientist. If the area is within 100 feet of the wetland or within the wetland, activities are regulated and require a Regulated Activity Permit. Usually the first site visit by the Inland Wetlands Officer will be sufficient to determine whether an activity, like extending the lawn, or grading for a "playscape" requires a Regulated Activity Permit from the Wetlands Office.

6. What can I do if I have wetlands on my property?

First, you might call the Inland Wetlands Office (203-245-5632) or visit the Land Use Office in the Town Hall at 8 Campus Drive, to look at maps of your property to see how the wetlands are mapped.

Second, you might talk with the Inland Wetlands Enforcement Officer about what is "Regulated" by the Inland Wetland Regulations as a "Regulated Activity." A "Regulated Activity" means any operation within or use affecting a wetland or watercourse by obstruction, by construction, by alteration, by removal or deposition of material or by pollution of such wetlands, whether or not they appear on the Official Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Map of the Town of Madison.

Some activities require an Inland Wetland Boundary Clarification to be approved by the Inland Wetland Agency, before you can proceed with obtaining a Regulated Activity Permit.

Some regulated activities can be approved by the Inland Wetlands Enforcement Officer, and others are approved by the Inland Wetlands Agency.

7. Can I look at maps of projects that might be proposed in my neighborhood or in town?

Yes. Maps of proposed projects are available for review in the Land Use Office in the Town Hall at 8 Campus Drive.

8. Can I dig a pond to drain the marshy areas in my yard to give me more dry lawn?

No, not without a permit from the Inland Wetlands Agency or the DEP. The review process for the permit can be lengthy and costly, requiring drawings done by professional engineers and surveyors, as well as a certified soil scientist. Sometimes a permit requires public hearings if they are considered significant activities.

9. How often does the Inland Wetlands Agency meet?

The Agency generally meets once a month on the first Monday of the month, at the Town Hall at 8 Campus Drive at 7:30 p.m.

10. I'm interested in learning more about wetlands. Where can I get more information?

The Land Use Office has a small library of reference books, and the DEP even has a bookstore with books about wetlands, rivers, pond management, wetland plants, fish, vernal pools and other related topics.

11. I have no wetlands on my property, but my neighbor has some. How does this affect me?

There is a 100 foot buffer area beyond the wetland boundary that is designated as a regulated area, which means that activities in that area require a Regulated Activity Permit. Such activities might include grading, landscaping, installing a pool, shed, garage or even a house.

If a septic system is proposed within 100 feet of a wetland boundary, it too requires a Regulated Activity Permit.

12. Are inland wetlands just "junk" land or is there any benefit I can gain from the wetlands on my property?

Inland wetlands benefit human beings in many ways, even without the slightest manipulation by man. They can provide open space, buffers from wind, provide shade and natural air conditioning, keep our water clean, keep our houses from being flooded, keep our wells and reservoirs filled even during droughts, provide habitats for animals and plants, and keep our earths temperature and natural cycles in balance. Wetlands can provide food for us as well if we learn something about them and the plants they can support.

13. Example of a Clear Cutting violation.

This is an example of a clear cutting violation; permits are required before starting work: Click to View