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4 Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Connecting Wetlands, Wildlife, and You
Veto request for SEA 389 - 5
The DNR has estimated dollar values for some of the annual benefits wetlands provide:
● $1.8 billion in water storage,
● $850 million in erosion prevention,
● $202 million in water purification, and
● support for Indiana’s multi-billion dollar outdoor recreation, hunting, and fishing industries5.
The water storage and water quality functions of wetlands can be replaced by building stormwater infrastructure, but at a substantial cost, and without wildlife, recreation, air quality, and climate benefits. EPA data on the cost of stormwater infrastructure, adjusted to 2021 dollars, show that the least expensive option costs over $86,000 per acre of wetland being replaced6. Preserving existing wetlands saves these construction costs and provides the most cost-effective stormwater management available.
IndyStar
There has been a lot of noise on both sides of the issue regarding Senate Bill 389, aka “the wetlands bill.” One side says the legislation will be detrimental to an array of wildlife species.
The other says SB 389 merely addresses puddles in farm fields that are not really wetlands. It all can be very confusing.
I’ll try to offer some clarity. Senate Bill 389 would be egregiously bad for all Hoosiers for two reasons: flooding and drinking water.
First of all, most of Indiana’s natural wetlands have already been destroyed. This happened a long time ago, when wilderness areas were converted to agriculture. Still, much of Indiana is pretty wet: Those endless farm fields you see across Indiana lie on top of hundreds of millions of miles of drainage tiles that move water away.