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of these wetland characteristics provide valuable education and recreation <br />resources. <br /> <br />do <br /> <br />Wetlands vary significantly in the degree that they have been altered. <br />Wetlands within the City exhibit great variations in their floral diversity, <br />quality of wildlife and fishery habitat, degree of fluctuation in response to <br />storms, the extent to which their shorelines have been altered or eroded, and <br />their relative value in protecting water quality. Therefore, the City has <br />determined that it is necessary and beneficial to classify wetlands based upon <br />their functions and values for purposes of establishing relative levels of <br />protection. <br /> <br />A substantial amount of wetland degradation results from sedimentation and <br />nutrient loading related to construction projects. Therefore, the City finds it <br />necessary to require extraordinary measures to prevent such construction- <br />related degradation. <br /> <br />eo <br /> <br />That it is necessary to regulate the use of lands surrounding wetlands. Based <br />on currently available scientific literature, buffer strips are necessary and <br />beneficial to maintaining the health of wetlands. These strips of land <br />surrounding wetlands protect their shorelines from erosion, while serving to <br />filter sediment, chemicals and other nutrients before storm water discharges <br />into the wetland. Buffer strips are also beneficial in providing habitat for <br />wildlife. <br /> <br />It is in the best interest of the general health and welfare of the City to achieve <br />no net loss of wetlands within the community. It is the intent of this Section <br />to avoid or minimize the alteration and destruction of wetlands where <br />possible. When wetlands are altered or destroyed, mitigation must be provided <br />to recreate the functions and values of the lost wetland. <br /> <br />Vegetative buffer strips meliorate and filter runoff and discharge into <br />wetlands. Wetlands are instrumental in maintaining and improving both water <br />quantity and quality for aquifer recharge. In addition to the mechanical and <br />physical function of impeding sediment run off and transport, buffer strip and <br />wetland vegetation are indicators of the biological functioning that serves to <br />metabolize or sequester nutrients as well as contaminants and sediment. The <br />ability to support microbial life, macro invertebrates, and common wildlife is <br />a proximate indicator of the value and quality ('health') of the wetlands and <br />their associated buffer region. In turn, the water quality desired for human use <br />and human health is the functional result of biological processes in wetlands <br />and associated buffers. <br /> <br />Protection and enhancement of vegetation in the buffers during establishment <br />increases their buffering capacity for the wetlands. Biotic baselines are <br />integral to maintaining and evaluating the functional health of the inventoried <br />wetlands. Periodic monitoring and periodic review of biologic functions can <br />be a means of evaluating success of the technical guidelines and <br />implementation in single wetlands, complexes or stream watersheds. Review <br /> <br /> <br />