Wetland is a generic term for all the different kinds of wet habitats where the land is wet for some period of time each year but not necessarily permanently wet. Many wetlands occur in areas where surface water collects or where underground water discharges to the surface, making the area wet for extended periods of time. Wetlands are commonly referred to as bogs, marshes, or swamps.

Missouri protects wetlands as "waters of the State." Waters of the State are all rivers, streams, lakes and other bodies of surface and subsurface water lying within or forming a part of the boundaries of the State which are not entirely confined and located completely upon lands owned, leased or otherwise controlled by a single person or by two or more persons jointly.

Historically, agricultural activities, urbanization, and hydrologic modifications have caused sharp reductions in the amount of natural wetlands. The most recent survey shows that the annual net loss of wetlands nationwide is about 100,000 acres.

Wetlands assimilate chemicals that otherwise would pollute our rivers and lakes. Their protection and restoration is an integral component of clean water planning. They are areas of high biological productivity, critical to any effort to maintain or restore populations of fish and wildlife and maintain diversity of species.