Office of Water Quality
For assistance with Wetlands and/or Section 401 Water Quality Certification, please contact:
Indiana Department of Environmental Management
Office of Water Quality, Waterways Section
100 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2251
- Phone: (317) 233-8488
- Toll Free: (800) 451-6027
- Fax: (317) 234-4145
State Regulated Wetlands and Section 401 Water Quality Certification (WQC)
The Waterways Section (Section 401 WQC and State Regulated Wetlands) is within the Office of Water Quality. Staff within the waterways program area administer permitting, compliance, and conduct outreach. The Waterways Section also coordinates work activities with the Stormwater Section.
See also: Contact Information for the Stormwater Program Staff
How Do I Contact the IDEM Waterways Section about my Property/Project Site?
Use the free Indiana Waterways inquiry tool: https://www.in.gov/waterways/
You May Have Wetlands on your Property/Project Site
Wetlands include areas that may be dry for long periods of time but are still considered wetlands when they have waterlogged soils or groundwater levels that are high enough to support aquatic plants for part of the year. Wetlands are more complex than just wet soils or shallow standing water, and they require these three factors to be considered a wetland:
- Hydrology: The presence of surface water or waterlogged soils for part of the year. Surface water or waterlogged soils do NOT need to be present year-round or every year for wetlands to be present.
- Hydric soils: Wetland-specific soils which are permanently or seasonally saturated by water.
- Vegetation: A dominance of wetland plants (which could be trees) growing in saturated soil conditions.
Some types of wetlands that may not have standing water include bottomland forests, hydric flatwoods bogs, and wet meadows.
For more detail on recognizing wetland characteristics, see the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Recognizing Wetlands Brochure