The following wetland inventory maps have been drafted pursuant to Part 303, Wetlands Protection, of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, as amended. The purpose of the wetland inventory is to provide potential and approximate locations of wetlands and wetland conditions. It is intended that the inventories be used as one tool in planning for development, open space designations, zoning, etc. as a way to protect wetland resources. The maps are not intended to be used to determine the specific locations and jurisdictional boundaries of wetland areas subject to regulation under Part 303. Only an on-site evaluation performed by the DEQ in accordance with Part 303 can be used for jurisdictional determinations. The DEQ has a wetland identification program to assist property owners with identifying the location of any wetlands on their property and whether the wetlands are regulated.

Wetland inventories for the state were produced on a county-by-county basis, all in the same manner. Inventories were produced by overlaying data from the following sources:

1. The National Wetland Inventory (NWI), conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through interpretation of topographic data and aerial photographs.

2. Land Cover, as mapped by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources' Michigan Resource Inventory System (MIRIS), through interpretation of aerial photographs.

3. Soils, as mapped by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resource Conservation Service.

The MIRIS and NWI data are shown as one data layer in dark green on the wetland inventory maps.

The inventories represent existing information that suggests the probability that a wetland may or may not exist in a given area. Areas shown as wetlands, wetland soils, or open water on the map are potential wetlands, and deserve further site investigation to verify if wetlands are actually present. The maps may not identify all potential wetlands in a county. It may show wetlands that are not actually present and it may not show wetlands which are actually present.

To view a map, select a county from the State map or list (average file size 2.06MB).

Pause the pointer over a county on the map to view the county name and click to view map or, select the county name from the drop down menu and click download.  You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the .pdf Wetland Inventory Maps by County. It is available for download free at: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html

More information visit Department of Environmental Quality, Wetlands Protection.