The biological activity of plants, fish, animals, insects, and especially bacteria and fungi in a healthy, diverse wetland is the recycling factory of our ecosystem. While wetlands do pose a special concern, their mere presence is not incompatible with environmentally sound golf courses. With care in design and management, many golf holes have been threaded through sensitive areas. When incorporated into a golf course design, wetlands should be maintained as preserves and separated from managed turf areas with native vegetation or structural buffers. In addition, constructed or disturbed wetlands can be designed and permitted as an integral part of the stormwater management system.
Best Management Practices
- Maintain appropriate silt fencing and BMP on projects upstream to prevent erosion and sedimentation.
- Natural waters cannot be considered treatment systems and must be protected. (Natural waters do not include treatment wetlands.)
- Establish a low- to no-maintenance level within a 75-foot buffer along nontidal and tidal wetlands.
- Establish and maintain a 100-foot riparian buffer around wetlands, springs, and spring runs.
Next: Lakes and Ponds
