Screen a proposed septic drainfield site for nearby wetlands that would trigger setback or Clean Water Act permitting requirements
domain: fwspublicservices.wim.usgs.gov · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
Sampled — shipped under file-level sampling, not individually fact-checkedcommunity attestations: 0✓ / 0✗
Steps
Query the NWI Wetlands MapServer at fwspublicservices.wim.usgs.gov/wetlandsmapservice/rest/services/Wetlands/MapServer/0/query with a geometry buffer (e.g. 100 ft) around the parcel and f=json.
Read the wetland type and Cowardin classification attributes for any intersecting features to identify wetland class.
If features are returned, measure the returned geometry's distance from the proposed drainfield centerpoint to check against your state's wetland setback distance.
For sites with no intersecting features, still check the riparian mapper layer (where enabled for that state) since NWI wetlands and riparian data are separate layers.
Document the query response (with timestamp) as siting evidence for the permit application file.
Known gotchas
NWI data is a biannual snapshot, not a real-time boundary determination -- a formal jurisdictional wetland delineation by a qualified professional is still required for permitting in ambiguous cases.
Coverage gaps exist in some remote/never-resurveyed areas; a 'no results' response can mean 'not mapped' rather than 'no wetland.'
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