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Accessing Wetlands
By
David E. Wilson, Jr.
ith long docks and piers continuing to raise a number of environmental
concerns over impacts to wetlands and the habitat they support, planners
and legislators around the Keystone State should take a closer look
at how such structures can affect waterways as well.
 n
Maryland, the Critical Areas Law protecting shorelines recommends
maximum pier length and width guidelines so counties and cities can
regulate their intrusion into the water. For example, the pier limit
over wetlands in Ocean City, Maryland is 50 feet.
 ow,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Marine Fisheries
Service, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service are taking a more comprehensive
look into the ways that these types of projects can negatively affect
the health of rivers and estuaries.
n
some cases, pier structures can cut off sunlight to a long swath of
tidal marsh, or streamside vegetation, killing the plants that lie
beneath. This loss of wetland habitat accelerates the erosion as it
denudes the soil naturally kept in place by the vegetation's root
structure. Boat traffic, associated with docks, also exacerbates this
erosion problem.
 onstruction
of long piers also results in fragmentation of floodplain ecosystems
by erecting barriers to the movement of resident species. In marshy
areas, wading birds need shallow waters and often prefer guts within
marsh that offer protection from predators. When densely spaced, piers
repel human-intolerant species and disrupt feeding of others. Alteration
of riparian land also often results in Phragmite proliferation.
 inally,
the use of treated lumber in the construction of piers and pilings
can introduce contaminants into the marsh environment as the chemicals
used to treat the lumber leach out over time. The arsenic in the wood,
now in the process of being phased out, has caused significant water
quality problems in areas with docks and bulkheads.
hile
EPA was undertaking its work, the research assistance branch of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began its own analysis
of these same impacts, culminating in a nationwide workshop of scientists,
researchers, and managers who discussed existing research and policy
relative to the construction of long piers over wetlands during two
workshops last year. The preliminary conclusions of the workgroups
raised similar concerns as the EPA work had unveiled.
o
doubt there are myriad factors affecting wildlife and water quality,
but we would be remiss to ignore this research into what is really
a private intrusion into public property.
Contact Dave Wilson
See past topics of In the Flow here!
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