What the NWI shows
The NWI maps the location and type of wetlands, ponds, lakes and streams across the country. Most of it was drawn from aerial images, and some areas were mapped decades ago.
What it does not show
The NWI is not a legal ruling on which wetlands are regulated. That call is made on the ground, through a wetland delineation, and reviewed by the US Army Corps of Engineers under the Clean Water Act. The NWI can miss small wetlands and can show wetlands that are no longer there.
How Voltane uses it
Voltane overlays each Texas site on the NWI to get its wetland share, and takes mapped wetlands out of the buildable acres. Where the inventory does not cover a whole site, the wetland share is shown as unknown, not 0 percent. It is a screen that tells you where a field delineation is likely needed.
Questions people ask
Can I build on land the NWI shows as wetland?
Maybe, but it may need a federal permit and mitigation, which add time and cost. A field delineation is the first step.
Is the NWI enough for due diligence?
No. It is a starting point. Lenders and permitting agencies expect a site-specific wetland study.
Related
More glossary
- What is time to power?
- What is powered land?
- What is a powered shell?
- What is large load interconnection?
- What is a point of interconnection?
- What is an interconnection queue?
- What is queue position?
- What is ERCOT?
Need a site, or have one?
Tell us what you need and Voltane finds, reports on and prices candidate sites in ERCOT. Or bring a site you already have for a path-to-power report (by request for now).