RESOURCES

Protecting Streams and Wetlands

Streams and wetlands are essential elements of the Bay Area’s natural heritage. They also work in many ways to protect and enhance water quality throughout our region.

Streams and wetlands, and the water that flows through them, shape the landscape as they support the ecological processes all human, plant, and animal watershed residents depend on.
Aquatic and terrestrial habitats associated with streams and wetlands provide critical habitat for diverse plant and animal communities.
Vegetated riparian and wetland corridors protect and enhance water quality.
Healthy stream and wetland systems store flood waters, provide flood control during large storm events, and recharge groundwater.

The Water Board uses a “watershed approach” whenever possible. This means that we often consider the needs of an entire watershed when we work to improve the health of an ecosystem—rather than focusing on specific pollution problems or an isolated stream or species. Some important guidance and policy documents for watershed, stream, and wetlands protection and management are listed here.

How does the Water Board protect streams and wetlands?
Water Board staff participate in numerous projects designed to protect streams and wetlands and promote healthy watersheds in the Bay Area

We permit restoration and mitigation projects with authorities from the Clean Water Act Section 401 certification process and the State’s Porter Cologne authority . Learn about our region’s 401 Certification Program and learn about our region's 401 Certification Program.
Fact Sheet for Wetland and Riparian Projects(2006)
Appendix I: Invasive Non-Native Plants
Appendix II: Suggestions for Dept of Defense Sites
We support the Wetland Tracker GIS database that provides free public access to information about the location, size, sponsors, habitats, contact persons, and status of wetland restoration, mitigation, creation, and enhancement projects in the Bay Area. Submittal of project details to the Wetland Tracker is required for 401 certification. Find out more here.
We develop Total Maximum Daily Loads action plans to protect stream health and support clean water in impaired waters and watersheds. TMDLs are incorporated into the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay Basin, our master planning guide for water quality in our region.
Stormwater runoff also affects stream and wetland health. In some cases it is a resource; in others stormwater runoff is the main source and cause of impairment or threat of impairment.
With the North Coast Water Board and the State Water Resources Control Board, we are developing a Stream and Wetland Systems Protection Policy that will become part of the San Francisco Bay Area’s master planning document for water quality protection, the Basin Plan
We assist with the development of wetland riparian assessment methods using tools such as benthic macro invertebrate assessments, California Rapid Assessment Method, Wetland Ecological Assessments (WEA), and other methods.

To learn more about some of the thousands of wetland and riparian restoration projects underway around the Bay or already completed, click here.

Links to Other Agency and Partner Sites

Our staff work closely with local, state, and federal agencies and environmental groups to develop plans and programs to support stream and wetland health.