This Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Wetland Inventory Map is intended to be used as one tool to assist in identifying wetlands and provides only potential and approximate location of wetlands and wetland conditions. EGLE produced this map from the following data obtained from other agencies or organizations.The National Wetland Inventory (NWI) conducted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service through interpretation of aerial photos and topographic data. Land Cover as mapped by the Michigan Resource Inventory System (MIRIS), Michigan Department of Natural Resources, through interpretation of aerial photographs.Hydric Soils as mapped by the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).This layer is not intended to be used to determine the specific locations and jurisdictional boundaries of wetland areas subject to regulation under Part 303, Wetlands Protection, of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, as amended.Only an on-site evaluation performed by EGLE in accordance with Part 303 shall be used for jurisdictional determinations. A permit is required from EGLE to conduct certain activities in wetlands regulated under Part 303.More information regarding this layer, including how to obtain a copy can be accessed atwww.michigan.gov/wetlands.

The NWI 2005 was an update to the original 1978 NWI Layer produced by US Fish and Wildlife Service, and utilized 1998 and 2005 imagery to map wetland loss/change over time. Classification of wetlands is based on the Cowardin Wetland Classification system with a minimum mapping unit of 1/10 acre. Wetland data produced by interpreting aerial imagery and digitizing boundaries in a heads up GIS environment. The most current up to date statewide wetland inventory for Michigan available as of 2020. NWI 2015 update is currently in progress in a partnership between EGLE and Ducks Unlimited, with expected statewide completion in 2025. For questions about this content reach out to Jeremy Jones at jonesj28@michigan.gov.

This data set represents the extent, approximate location and type of wetlands and deepwater habitats in the conterminous United States. These data delineate the areal extent of wetlands and surface waters as defined by Cowardin et al. (1979). Certain wetland habitats are excluded from the National mapping program because of the limitations of aerial imagery as the primary data source used to detect wetlands. These habitats include seagrasses or submerged aquatic vegetation that are found in the intertidal and subtidal zones of estuaries and near shore coastal waters. Some deepwater reef communities (coral or tuberficid worm reefs) have also been excluded from the inventory. These habitats, because of their depth, go undetected by aerial imagery. By policy, the Service also excludes certain types of "farmed wetlands" as may be defined by the Food Security Act or that do not coincide with the Cowardin et al. definition. Contact the Service's Regional Wetland Coordinator for additional information on what types of farmed wetlands are included on wetland maps. In addition to updated NWI maps (2015) the Landscape Level Wetland Functional Assessment (LLWFA) has been added to these wetland areas. The Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) has been working since 2006 on refining and expanding the use of the LLWFA across much of the state. Each year, EGLE Nonpoint Source Unit is the main entity which distributes 319 watershed planning funds to local units of government, non-profit organizations, and numerous other state, federal, and local partners to reduce nonpoint source pollution statewide. Their yearly prioritization of watershed planning efforts directly influenced the completion of LLWFA efforts, and the scale at which they work is a perfect fit for this landscape level wetland information. This approach addresses both a current (2015) wetland inventory and a Pre-European Settlement inventory, to approximate change over time, and provide the best information possible on wetland status and trends from original condition through today. These watershed planning organizations have utilized these tools to help them better evaluate projects for preserving or enhancing their current wetland resources and planning for restoration of lost resources. Restoring lost wetland functionality shows great promise in addressing the systemic cause of much of the non-point source pollution occurring in the state. The 2015 NWI update is ongoing throughout the state.Detailed Wetland Code Descriptions can be found using the link below. This provides a crosswalk from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) wetlands data, as defined by the Federal Wetland Mapping Standard, to the complete wetland definitions, as defined by the Federal Wetlands Classification Standard. The table can be joined with the NWI wetlands data using the 'Attribute' field. This will provide users with a full wetland or deepwater habitat description for each polygon. https://maps-semcog.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/SEMCOG::wetland-code-definitions-2015

The National Wetland Inventory (NWI) from 2005 was produced by Great Lakes/Atlantic Region Office (GLARO) of Ducks Unlimited with funding provided by EGLE. The NWI 2005 was an update to the original 1978 NWI Layer produced by US Fish and Wildlife Service, and utilized 1998 and 2005 imagery to map wetland loss/change over time. Classification of wetlands is based on the Cowardin Wetland Classification system with a minimum mapping unit of 1/10 acre. The NWI+ data includes hydrogeomorphic classification of wetlands in addition to the normal Cowardin wetland classification, and includes functional assessment information of each wetland in the attribution. The full report on this dataset is available by request to the Wetlands, Lakes, and Streams Unit.

Field Name

Descriptions

NWICode

The wetland classification codes are a series of letter and number codes that have been developed to adapt the national wetland classification system to map form. These alpha-numeric codes correspond to the classification nomenclature that best describes a particular wetland habitat. For example, PFO1A = Palustrine (P), Forested (FO), Broad-leaved Deciduous (1), Temporarily Flooded (A).

HGMCode

Code for the Landscape Level Assessment. Combines each of the coded types. For example TEBAVR = Terrene Basin Vertical Flow

Acres

Size of the wetland polygon.

NWIKey

Unique Identifier Key used in the 2005 NWI update.

ImageDate

Date of the imagery in which the wetland polygon was mapped from.

VegOrNotVeg

Is the wetland vegetated or open water (non veg).

EGLEType

Type of wetland open water, emergent, forested, shrub scrub etc.

Modifier

Wetland modifier identifying excavated, ditched, impounded etc.

Landform

The type of geological feature in which the wetland resides. Slope (SL) Wetlands occurring on a slope of 5% or greater. Island (IS) A wetland completely surrounded by water. Fringe (FR) Wetland occurs in the shallow water zone of a permanent waterbody. *NWI water regime F, G, and H Floodplain (FP) Wetland occurs on an active alluvial plain along a river and some streams. *Modifiers FPba (Basin) and FPfl ( Flat) Basin (BA) Wetland occurs in a distinct depression. *NWI water regime C and E Flat (FL) Wetland occurs on a nearly level landform. *NWI water regime A and B

Landscape_Position

Landscape position values are determined by cross referencing NWI with hydrology and topography. NWI polygons that spatially intersect a stream/river in the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) are classified as lotic. Lotic type wetlands can be further refined to indicate their adjacency to a stream or a river (lotic stream or lotic river). High resolution NHD data was used to differentiate rivers from streams in this analysis. A NHD classification completed by MDNR, Institute for Fisheries Research separated rivers by temperature gradient (cold, cool, warm) and size, based on average water flows (cubic feet per second or CFS). This dataset was used in the LLWFA analysis to mark this distinction. NWI Polygons that are determined to be within the basin of a lake are classified as lentic. Identifying the extent of a lake basin, and thus which wetlands fall within it, is done with the assistance of digital elevation models (DEM). NWI Polygons that don’t intersect surface water features or aren’t spatially located within a lake basin are classified as terrene

Waterbody_Type

Waterbody type classification is the simplest of the 4 LLWW descriptors. Ponds, lakes, and rivers are classified as such based explicitly on NWI Cowardin code. Lakes and ponds were separated at the 5-acre mark, all open-water polygons less than or equal to 5 acres were classified as ponds, while all open-water polygons larger than 5 acres were classified as lakes. The 5 acre cutoff was chosen to remain consistent with previously existing EGLE regulations. High resolution NHD data was used to differentiate rivers from streams in this analysis. A NHD classification completed by MDNR, Institute for Fisheries Research separated rivers by temperature gradient (cold, cool, warm) and size, based on average water flows (CFS) This dataset was used in the LLWFA analysis to mark this distinction.

Waterflow_Path

Water flow path, otherwise known as hydrodynamics, is classified by automated and manual interpretation of the intersection of NHD surface water features and NWI. Automated methods include intersecting NHD and NWI to capture throughflow wetlands (in-stream wetlands), both natural and artificial. A distinction is drawn in NHD between natural stream/river features and artificial canal/ditch features. Vegetated NWI wetlands that don’t intersect any surface water body are classified as isolated. Detailed coding was developed in an effort to differentiate intermittent, artificial, and perennial connections between wetlands and other surface waterbodies. Any wetland classified as lentic (Landscape Position) is automatically assigned a water flow path of bidirectional, accounting for the tidal effects of lakes on adjacent wetlands

Landform1

A secondary code used to determine type of floodplain and if a vegetated wetland is associated with a pond. Associated w/Pond (pd) Basin (ba) Flat (fl)

Landscape1

Field used to display if a wetland falls within a Headwater area Headwater (hw)

HMValues

All function Values combined to perform the count.

FunCount

Number of Functions each wetland could be performing.

FloodWaterStorage

Function field for Flood Water Storage H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

StreamflowMaintenance

Function field for Streamflow Maintenance H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

NutrientTransformation

Function field for Nutrient TransformationH (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

SedimentRetention

Function field for Sediment Retention H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

ShorelineStabilization

Function field for Shoreline Stabilization H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

FishHabitat

Function field for Fish Habitat. H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

StreamShading

Function field for Stream Shading H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

WaterfowlWaterbirdHabitat

Function field for Waterfowl and Water Bird Habitat. H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

ShorebirdHabitat

Function field for Shorebird Habitat. H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

InteriorForestBirdHabitat

Function field for Interior Forest Bird Habitat. H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

AmphibianHabitat

Function field for Amphibian Habitat. H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

CORIWetlandsSpecies

Function field for Conservation of Rare Imperiled Wetland Speices H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

GroundWaterInfluence

Function field for Ground Water Influence H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

CarbonSequestration

Function field for Carbon Sequestration H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

PathogenRentention

Function field for Pathogen Retention 1 = Wetlands that intersect 303d listed streams, 2 = Wetlands within a 500 ft buffer of 303d streams, 3 Streams that intersect wetlands that filter Pathogens, 4 wetlands within a 500 ft buffer that filter pathogens. For historical wetlands this would be showing best areas to do potential restoration.

For more information about this content reach out to Jeremy Jones at jonesj28@michigan.gov.

All data was constructed from legal meets and bounds on file at Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). Our hope is that this data set will be used by others to protect, conserve, and construct wetlands around the state. This EGLE digitized field map of the conservation easements (easement) is intended to be used as a visual aid to assist in identifying in general the size, shape, and location of the easement boundaries. The locations are based upon land surveys that have been converted to a geographic information system. Some of the easement shapefiles had to be manipulated to reference known landmarks (roads, rivers) as depicted on aerial photos to best reflect the areas the easements were intended to cover. Therefore, since accuracy of the data may vary, all polygons should be used to approximate the easement boundary lines and should not be used to determine jurisdictional boundaries.

Field Name

Description

Acres

Size of each conservation easement polygon.

MappingDate

Approximate date that the easement polygon was created/mapped.

FileNumber

Conservation Easement number and or name used to track and find each easement. This number can be searched in MiEnviro for more information on the Easement.

County

County in which the conservation easement is located.

Township

Township and or City in which the easement is located.

For questions about the data contact: Jeremy Jones (jonesj28@michigan.gov) or Jeff Bridgland (bridglandJ@michigan.gov).

This map series is maintained by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources', Michigan Resource Inventory Program (MRIP). Each land cover category is depicted by a polygon and identified with a land cover code. Patterned land cover maps have also been created for selected counties depicting urban, agriculture, woodland, and wetland categories (products 201, 202, 203, and 204 respectively). This layer includes only the land cover codes that represent the different vegetative and open water categories of wetlands captured in the MIRIS Land Cover effort.

This layer was produced from the source MIRIS 1978 LULC Dataset. All wetland land cover codes were queried and exported in a GIS environment for use in the Part 303 State Wetland Inventory completed in 2007.

Field Name

Descriptions

MIRISCode

Combined level codes used to determine the land cover type.

Level1

Wetlands codes

Level2

Forested Codes

Level3

Shrub Swamp codes

LandCoverType

Wetland Landcover type

Acres

Size of the MIRIS polygon

County

county in which the wetland is in.

For questions about this content reach out to Jeremy Jones at jonesj28@michigan.gov.

This layer was developed by EGLE's Wetlands, Lakes, and Streams Unit (WLSU) to inventory the cities, townships, and other municipalities that have a local wetland ordinance in place. These ordinances are typically more restrictive than State Wetland Protection laws, and provide enhanced control to local communities to restrict wetland development and impact.This layer was produced by combining the different municipal boundaries for the cities, villages, and townships that currently have a local wetland ordinance in place.

Field Name

Descriptions

FMCD

Minor civil division identification code

Name

Township or City that has a local wetland ordinance.

For questions about this content reach out to Jeremy Jones at jonesj28@michigan.gov.

Rapid, qualitative biological and habitat surveys for wadeable streams and rivers are conducted using the Great Lakes Watersheds Assessment, Restoration, and Management (GLWARM) section Procedure 51. Procedure 51 consists of separate qualitative evaluations of the macroinvertebrate community, fish community, and habitat quality. These protocols can be used to assess the existing condition of Michigan's wadeable streams and rivers as well as detect spatial and temporal trends.This layer was developed to classify sites for the Water Resources Division Procedure 51 scoring process. The classifications were partly derived from EPA's StreamCat Dataset catchments and Level 3 Ecoregions, where ecoregion, catchment slope, and wetland composition, are components of the site class determination.The north region is comprised of catchments within level 3 Ecoregion 50: Northern Lakes and Forests and Ecoregion 51: North Central Hardwood Forests. Monitoring sites within the north region are classified according to stream width and percent coverage of wetland and open water land cover types according to the table below. North- Wetland > 40%:Stream ClassStream Width (ft.)Very Narrow< 13Narrow13 - 21.27Wide OR Mid-Size Wet21.27 - 68.367Wide OR Mid-Size Wet> 68.367North- Wetland < 40%Stream ClassStream Width (ft)Very Narrow< 13Narrow13 - 21.27Mid-Size Dry21.27 - 68.367Wide OR Mid-Size Wet> 68.367The south region is comprised of catchments with level 3 Ecoregion 55: Eastern Corn Belt Plains, Ecoregion 56: Southern Michigan/Northern Indiana Drift Plains and Ecoregion 57: Huron/Erie Lake Plains. Longitude -83.72 is used to divide the East classification from both WestFlat and WestSteep classifications.Please note that catchments whose boundaries intersected the north/south ecoregion boundary and the -83.72 longitude were split accordingly. These fragmented catchments retained their original % Wetland and % slope values from the StreamCat dataset for classification purposes . These values are not representative of the actual composition within those areas, they correspond to the original catchment boundaries.Learn more about EGLE Biological AssessmentsQuestions about the data and P51 site classifications: Sarah Holden at HoldenS1@Michigan.govMap feedback: VandenbergC@Michigan.gov

Hydric soils indicate a current or former wetland condition, and for this layer, hydric inclusions (>15% hydric soils) were not added to the layer, while hydric complexes (<15% hydric soils) were included. This is a statewide layer that can be used as one resource in identifying current or former wetland areas. United States Department of Agriculture-National Resource Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) Soil Survey Geographic database (SSURGO) Soils were used as the base dataset and hydric soil types were queried out on a county by county basis in a GIS environment. USDA-NRCS State Soil Scientists provided the hydric soil types in Excel table format by county, and Wetlands, Lakes, and Streams unit (WLSU) produced this layer from that official list.

Field Name

Descriptions

CoverType

This is the approximate historical landcover type. This data was pulled from the land 1800 Michigan Natural Features Inventory dataset. Its typcially used as part of the Landscape Level Wetland Functional Assesement.

MapUnitSymbol

Map unit symbol is an attribute that tracks the type of soil. This code can be used to look up information for a partical soil.

Acres

Size of the hydric soil polygon.

AreaSymbol

County code for location of the polygon.

AreaName

Name of the county in which the soil is found.

MapUnitCode

A symbol used to uniquely identify the soil map unit in the soil survey

MapUnitName

Correlated name of the mapunit (recommended name or field name for surveys in progress).

Component

Name assigned to a component based on its range of properties. Local Phase - Phase criterion to be used at a local level, in conjunction with "component name" to help identify a soil component.

Representation

The percentage of the component of the mapunit.

Landforms

A word or group of words used to name a feature on the earth's surface, expressed in the plural form.

HydricRating

A yes/no field that indicates whether or not a map unit component is classified as a "hydric soil". If rated as hydric, the specific criteria met are listed in the Component Hydric Criteria table. Because this data is a hydric layer all will be yes

HydricCriteria

Criterion code for the soil characteristic(s) and/or feature(s) that cause the map unit component to be classified as a "hydric soil." These codes are the paragraph numbers in the hydric soil criteria publication.

NWIWater

The approximated National Wetland Inventory water regime code assigned to this soil type. This was done as part of the Landscape Level Functional Assessment.

NWICode

Code generated from the landcover type and NWI water field. The approximated National Wetland Inventory Code approximated for this historic landcover.

HGMCode

Code for the Landscape Level Assessment. Combines each of the coded types. For example TEBAVR = Terrene Basin Vertical Flow

Landform

The type of geological feature in which the wetland resides. Slope (SL) Wetlands occurring on a slope of 5% or greater. Island (IS) A wetland completely surrounded by water. Fringe (FR) Wetland occurs in the shallow water zone of a permanent waterbody. *NWI water regime F, G, and H Floodplain (FP) Wetland occurs on an active alluvial plain along a river and some streams. *Modifiers FPba (Basin) and FPfl ( Flat) Basin (BA) Wetland occurs in a distinct depression. *NWI water regime C and E Flat (FL) Wetland occurs on a nearly level landform. *NWI water regime A and B

Landscape_Position

Landscape position values are determined by cross referencing NWI with hydrology and topography. NWI polygons that spatially intersect a stream/river in the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) are classified as lotic. Lotic type wetlands can be further refined to indicate their adjacency to a stream or a river (lotic stream or lotic river). High resolution NHD data was used to differentiate rivers from streams in this analysis. A NHD classification completed by MDNR, Institute for Fisheries Research separated rivers by temperature gradient (cold, cool, warm) and size, based on average water flows (cubic feet per second or CFS). This dataset was used in the LLWFA analysis to mark this distinction. NWI Polygons that are determined to be within the basin of a lake are classified as lentic. Identifying the extent of a lake basin, and thus which wetlands fall within it, is done with the assistance of digital elevation models (DEM). NWI Polygons that don’t intersect surface water features or aren’t spatially located within a lake basin are classified as terrene

Waterbody_Type

Waterbody type classification is the simplest of the 4 LLWW descriptors. Ponds, lakes, and rivers are classified as such based explicitly on NWI Cowardin code. Lakes and ponds were separated at the 5-acre mark, all open-water polygons less than or equal to 5 acres were classified as ponds, while all open-water polygons larger than 5 acres were classified as lakes. The 5 acre cutoff was chosen to remain consistent with previously existing EGLE regulations. High resolution NHD data was used to differentiate rivers from streams in this analysis. A NHD classification completed by MDNR, Institute for Fisheries Research separated rivers by temperature gradient (cold, cool, warm) and size, based on average water flows (CFS) This dataset was used in the LLWFA analysis to mark this distinction.

Waterflow_Path

Water flow path, otherwise known as hydrodynamics, is classified by automated and manual interpretation of the intersection of NHD surface water features and NWI. Automated methods include intersecting NHD and NWI to capture throughflow wetlands (in-stream wetlands), both natural and artificial. A distinction is drawn in NHD between natural stream/river features and artificial canal/ditch features. Vegetated NWI wetlands that don’t intersect any surface water body are classified as isolated. Detailed coding was developed in an effort to differentiate intermittent, artificial, and perennial connections between wetlands and other surface waterbodies. Any wetland classified as lentic (Landscape Position) is automatically assigned a water flow path of bidirectional, accounting for the tidal effects of lakes on adjacent wetlands

Landform1

A secondary code used to determine type of floodplain and if a vegetated wetland is associated with a pond. Associated w/Pond (pd) Basin (ba) Flat (fl)

Landscape1

Field used to display if a wetland falls within a Headwater area Headwater (hw)

LLWFAComments

Field used to make notes during the LLWFA coding process.

HMValues

All function Values combined to perform the count.

FunCount

Number of Functions each wetland could be performing.

VegOrNotVeg

Is the wetland vegetated or open water (non veg).

FloodWaterStorage

Function field for Flood Water Storage H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

StreamflowMaintenance

Function field for Streamflow Maintenance H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

NutrientTransformation

Function field for Nutrient TransformationH (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

SedimentRetention

Function field for Sediment Retention H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

ShorelineStabailization

Function field for Shoreline Stabilization H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

FishHabitat

Function field for Fish Habitat. H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

StreamShading

Function field for Stream Shading H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

WaterfowlWaterbirdHabitat

Function field for Waterfowl and Water Bird Habitat. H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

ShorebirdHabitat

Function field for Shorebird Habitat. H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

InteriorForestBirdHabitat

Function field for Interior Forest Bird Habitat. H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

AmphibianHabitat

Function field for Amphibian Habitat. H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

GroundWaterInfluence

Function field for Ground Water InfluenceH (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

CarbonSequestration

Function field for Carbon Sequestration H (2) = High M (1) = Moderate

PathogenRetention

Function field for Pathogen Retention 1 = Wetlands that intersect 303d listed streams, 2 = Wetlands within a 500 ft buffer of 303d streams, 3 Streams that intersect wetlands that filter Pathogens, 4 wetlands within a 500 ft buffer that filter pathogens. For historical wetlands this would be showing best areas to do potential restoration.

The hydric soils polygons are not updated, however attributes will be updated when Landcape Level Wetland Functional data is completed.For questions about this content reach out to Jeremy Jones at jonesj28@michigan.gov.