WETLANDS (NRCS)

(Technical) The (U.S. Department of Agriculture) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) (formerly the Soil Conservation Service: SCS) uses the following definition for identifying wetlands on agricultural land in assessing farmer eligibility for U.S. Department of Agriculture program benefits under the "Swampbuster" provision of the Food Security Act (FSA) of 1985. As amended in 1990, the FSA states that the term "wetland," except when such term is part of the term "converted wetland," means land that (1) has a predominance of hydric soils; (2) is inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support a prevalence of hydrophytic vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions; and (3) under normal circumstances does support a prevalence of such vegetation. For purposes of the 1990 amended FSA, and any other act, this term shall not include lands in Alaska identified as having high potential for agricultural development which have a predominance of permafrost soils.