Field Guides & Tools

The following is a partial list of relevant tools for delineating and classifying wetlands. CDOT does not endorse any private companies.

Wetland Data Procedures - CDOT instructions for using GPS to collect wetland boundaries.

Regional Supplements to the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual:

• Arid West Regional Supplement:
  Manual
  Data Forms
• Western Mtns, Valleys, and Coast Regional Supplement:
  Manual
  Data Forms
• Great Plains Regional Supplement
  Manual
  Data Forms

National Wetland Plant List

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), as part of an interagency effort with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), developed the National Wetland Plant List (NWPL) that is updated often. The NWPL is used to determine whether the hydrophytic vegetation parameter is met when conducting wetland determinations under the Clean Water Act and the Wetland Conservation Provisions of the Food Security Act. The list must be used in any wetland delineation performed. The plant lists for the state and for the three regions within Colorado can be found below. These are dynamic documents that are updated often.

• Colorado State list (2020 Update)
  
• Arid West Region list
• Western Mountains, Valleys, and Coast Region list
• Great Plains Region list

Other Helpful Tools:

• Colorado Natural Heritage Program

• Colorado Wetland Information Center - The most complete collection of wetland resources in Colorado
• Colorado Wetland Inventory - Colorado's improved NWI maps
• Colorado Wetlands Mobile App - The App contains three main sections:
  • Wetland Plants: Detailed descriptions and photos of 711 plant species found in Colorado's wetland and riparian areas. The plants are searchable through many different search criteria and filters.
  • Wetland Maps: Access to digital National Wetland Inventory (NWI) maps. The App shows NWI maps for the entire state of Colorado and can use location information from the device to show mapped wetland where the user is located. The Maps screen can also be used to search for wetland plants potentially found at the user's location.
  • Wetland Types: Brief description of the most common wetland and riparian types found in Colorado. Wetland types can also be used as a filter for searching plant species.
• Wetland Plant Field Guides
  • Field Guide to Colorado's Wetland Plants 
  • Common Wetland Plants of Colorado's Eastern Plains, 2nd Edition
  • Common Wetland Plants of Colorado's Southern Rocky Mountains
  • Common Wetland Plants of Colorado's Western Slope
• Statewide Wetlands Classification and Characterization, CNHP 2003

• PLANTS Database, NRCS
• Colorado Biostabilization Manual
• Field Indicators of Hydric Soils in the United States, NRCS Version 8.2, 2018
  • Colorado Hydric Soils List (dynamic table updated often)
• ASWM Hydric Soils Online Training Series
• Field Guide to Intermountain Sedges, USDA 1998
• Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual, USACE 1987
• Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States (Cowardin, et al. 1979): http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/ENVREG/habitat.pdf
• How to Plant Willows and Cottonwoods for Riparian Restoration, USDA Technical Note 23, 2007
• Gwen Kittel's Colorado Willow Key (updated)
• Beaver Restoration Guidebook 2.01