Wetlands are areas where water is present at or very near the earth’s surface either all year round or for much of the year, including the growing season. These marshy areas often border ponds, streams, and rivers. They support a variety of plant life, which in turn provides habitats for birds, amphibians, insects, and mammals. Wetlands can serve as holding areas for flood waters from heavy rains or melting ice. They slow down the flow of water into streams and rivers so that it has a chance to be filtered first through plant roots, soil, sand, and rocks.

Wetlands help protect streams and rivers from a condition called hypoxia. Hypoxia occurs when water is low in dissolved oxygen. Fish and other water creatures “breathe” the dissolved oxygen from the water they live in. When there is not enough dissolved oxygen, they can’t breathe and they die. Chemical fertilizers like nitrogen and potassium which are washed off of lawns and farms and into ponds, streams, and rivers boost algae growth, the green “scum” you may see floating on top. As the algae die, they consume oxygen from the water. Wetlands help prevent hypoxia by absorbing the chemicals before they flow into waterways.