During the past 30 years, research by ecologists, biologists and environmental scientists have shown that wetlands provide crucial environmental and ecological functions and values to today's society. It has therefore become crucial to identify and delineate wetland in any given project area as a first step in analyzing impacts to these important ecosystems.

The RBA Group has conducted numerous wetland delineations for clients throughout the northeastern United States. Wetland delineation typically involves identifying and analyzing the vegetation, soil and hydrologic characteristics of an area and determining if those parameters indicate that the area meets the criteria for classification as a freshwater wetland. Those areas are then flagged in the field and the flagged boundaries located by survey crews and plotted on project basemaps. While wetland delineation methodologies may vary slightly from state to state, the US Corps of Engineers methodology is generally regarded as the underlying basis for the various methodologies. The RBA Group has experience in all of the delineation methodologies used in the northeast and has completed delineations for a variety of clients including the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, the New York Thruway Authority, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the US Navy and the US Army.