Don’t forget your permits
Before you begin work near or in a wetland in Regional Service
Commission 8 (RSC8) you will need a permit or approval from one or more
of the regulatory agencies listed below. These agencies review your planned
work to ensure that damage to the wetland, if any, is kept to a minimum. If
you damage a wetland without a permit you can expect: 1) a lengthy delay
in your work while the situation is investigated; and 2) to be fined.
1. New Brunswick Department of Environment
Under the New Brunswick Clean Water Act (CWA) you require a
Watercourse and Wetland Alteration Permit (WAWA Permit) before you
begin an activity that will cause an “alteration” of a wetland. The definition
of wetland in the CWA is very broad. Common residential activities that
are wetland alterations include:
• Construction on or in a wetland, such as a culvert or dock.
• Landscaping and tree removal within 30 metres of the edge of the bank
of a wetland.
• Operating heavy machinery within 30 metres of a wetland.
You should also check with the N.B. Department of Environment to see
if your property is located in a designated watershed (for the protection of
a water supply), and if so, whether the work you want to do is permitted
under the Watercourse Setback Designation Order.
2. Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) (Federal government)
The Fisheries Act states that “No person
shall carry on any work or undertaking
that results in the harmful alteration,
disruption or destruction of fish habitat.”
If your work could damage fish habitat
in a wetland you should make a request
to DFO to review your plans before
you undertake any work. In some cases
DFO will provide you with a “letter
of advice” about how you can do the work without causing damage to
fish habitat. If damage to fish habitat is unavoidable, DFO may grant
you an “authorization” to proceed with your work. An environmental
assessment and Compensation Plan are required before DFO will grant an
authorization. The Compensation Plan shows how you will offset the loss
of any fish habitat.
3. Regional Service Commission 8
Zoning provisions may also limit the amount and type of work you can do
near a wetland. These provisions are usually in addition to the above and
other Provincial and Federal regulations. Check with a R6C Development
Officer before you begin any work near water.
Don’t forget your permits (continued)
Applying for a permit and/or authorization
• Get an application package for a Watercourse and Wetland Alteration
(WAWA) Permit from an N.B. Department of Environment regional
office.
• The N.B. Department of Environment routinely refers applications for
WAWA Permits to DFO. If it has, DFO will review the application to
determine if your proposed work will damage fish habitat. It is your
responsibility to confirm that the referral has been made and follow-up
with DFO about its review.
• If no referral was made to DFO, or your work does not require a WAWA
Permit but may still damage fish habitat, you should contact DFO –
Habitat Protection and Sustainable Development Branch to determine if
an Application for Authorization is required.
2 Talking about Water –
Learning about Wetlands
• It is important to remember you may need DFO to review your
proposed work even if you do not require a WAWA Permit, and vice
versa. The same is true for RSC8 zoning provisions.
Wetlands provide habitat
for many wildlife species
including the Red-winged
Blackbird.
For more information on land use planning matters in Regional
Service Commission 8, we invite you to obtain copies of our other
brochures, visit our website, or contact us directly.
www.rsc8.ca
49 Winter St., Unit 1, Sussex, N.B. E4E 2W8
Telephone: (506) 432-7530 Fax: (506) 432-7539
Toll Free: 1-888-245-9155
The information in this brochure is for general information purposes only. For official
legislative provisions, consult the relevant provincial statutes and regulations.
Inside you will learn about wetlands
and what makes them so valuable and
fragile and how they can be protected
in 5HJLRQDO6HUYLFH&RPPLVVLRQ.
Why wetlands are important
Water, it is a precious and fragile resource. Continuous, large
quantities of clean water are vital to all life on Earth. Unfortunately,
human activities, from the large to the small, can easily pollute, alter,
and over-use water sources. To help get you thinking about water and
what you can do to protect it, RHJLRQal 6HUYLFH&RPPLVVLRQ56&
has produced a series of four brochures called "Talking about Water":
1. Protecting our Surface Waters
2. Learning
about Wetlands
For centuries people have believed wetlands to be worthless and dangerous places. As a result, people have converted
wetlands, such as by draining them, into other land uses like agriculture and residential areas. It is only recently that
people have come to understand that wetlands perform many important functions in nature that are also beneficial to us.
• Wetlands are nature’s water filters. They remove sediment, nutrients and pollutants. This
improves the quality of surface and groundwater.
• Wetlands act like sponges because they absorb water during times of high water levels and
release it during drier periods. This helps reduce flooding and offset droughts.
3. Not
taking Groundwater for Granted
• Wetlands are groundwater recharge areas.
4. Stormwater
Management
5. Floodplains
Development
• Wetlands are very biologically productive and are home to many aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals. This
provides for recreational and livelihood activities like canoeing, hunting, and fishing.
• Wetlands stabilize the banks of watercourses and seacoasts.
Wetlands in New Brunswick
A wetland is any area of
land that is covered with water, or
saturated with water at or near the soil surface, for a part of or all of
the day or year. They usually have plant communities that are adapted
to wet conditions. New Brunswick has both inland and coastal
wetlands.
The main types of inland wetlands in New Brunswick are:
Marshes – These are wetlands that are periodically flooded or continually covered
with water. At times of the year they can be completely dry. They have rich soils and
are covered by rushes and course grasses. Cattails are a common marsh plant. The
open water channels in marshes support plants like water lilies.
Our tiny backyard wetlands do many of these same things. We should not treat them as nuisances and impediments
to our landscaping efforts. Instead, we need to recognize their value and take care to protect them.
Did you know?
The conservation
of wetlands is
so important it
is a matter of
international law, the
Ramsar Convention.
source: Env. Canada
Keeping wetlands healthy – What you can do at home
1. Don’t cause physical damage to wetlands
This is not good
for a wetland
• Do not try and “improve” a wetland by dredging, draining, or filling it in. This destroys
habitat and impairs a wetland’s other functions. You need permits before you are allowed
to alter a wetland. Plan your work to disturb the wetland as little as possible.
• Building a permanent structure like a dock in wetland can also damage it.
2. Keep the riparian zone natural
Swamps – Swamps are wetlands that are dominated by woody plants. The soils in
swamps are saturated with water throughout the year. Swamps can also be flooded for
all or part of the year. Cedar and black spruce are common to New Brunswick swamps.
• A riparian zone is the strip of land around a wetland. Maintaining the natural vegetation
in riparian zones plays an important part in keeping wetlands healthy. A riparian zone of
30 metres or more of natural vegetation should be maintained around wetlands.
Peatlands – The two types of peatlands in New Brunswick are bogs and fens. Peat is
formed when thick layers of decomposing moss build-up in poorly drained areas.
• Riparian zone vegetation intercepts and absorbs runoff water and holds the soil together. This lessens soil erosion
and helps keep excess sediments and nutrients out of wetlands. Riparian zone trees and other vegetation provide
needed habitat for many wildlife species.
Bogs form when moss slowly fills in a pond or lake. Bogs receive most of
their water from precipitation. This makes bogs acidic and nutrient-poor. Only
specialized vegetation such as sphagnum moss and pitcher plants can live in bogs.
A typical New
Brunswick wetland
Did you know?
Fens are peatlands that unlike bogs get most of their nutrients from groundwater. Over 65% of New
Brunswick’s coastal
This makes them less acidic and more nutrient-rich and able to support a wider
wetlands have
variety of plants.
New Brunswick’s coastal wetlands are salt marshes. They are found in sheltered
areas that are flooded by the tides. The plants that live in these marshes are salttolerant.
(source: A practical guide to the importance of New Brunswick’s wetlands (GNB))
been lost to human
activities.
source: N.B. Wetlands
Conservation Policy
• Do your part by keeping landscaping in the riparian zone to a minimum or by re-planting natural vegetation in the
riparian zone on your property. Be aware there are regulations that apply to work in riparian areas.
3. Prevent water pollution
• Prevent spills of pollutants like pesticides and gasoline. This not only includes in or near a wetland but the soil as
well. Spills in soil can leach through the ground into wetlands.
• Apply fertilizer carefully or not at all. Fertilizers contain nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous. If too much
fertilizer is used, these nutrients can get into wetlands and promote excess algae growth. This excess can overwhelm
wetlands’ natural filtering capacity and damage their plant and animal communities.
• Keep your septic system in good working order.