Are you looking to obtain your wetland mapping in a faster, more affordable fashion? At Solstice, our wetland mapping process provides a less expensive wetland mapping option that is up to 95% accurate.
Simply select your area of interest on our Wetland Mapper Portal
Choose either Desktop Assessment or Desktop Assessment & Field Verification
Desktop assessment’s starting at $1500 for up to 640 acres (259 ha) - Price dependent on location
Desktop Assessment & Field Verification
Select your desired area of interest & Solstice will send you a custom quote for providing:
Desktop Assessment
High-level identification of wetlands location, area, size
Estimate of potential wetland replacement costs
All identified wetlands are also classified according to the Alberta Government Wetland Classification System
Supports in planning or siting initiatives
Field Verification
The field-based assessment process
Verifies the spatial extents and classes of mapped wetlands
Historic analysis of wetland changes over time
Desktop Assessment
Select your desired area of interest & Solstice will provide:
High-level identification of wetlands location, area, size
Estimate of potential wetland replacement costs
All identified wetlands are also classified according to the Alberta Government Wetland Classification System
Supports in planning or siting initiatives
Starting at $1500
(up to 640 acres 259 ha)
Price dependent on location
Placing An Order Is This Easy!
Use Cases - Solstice Wetland Mapper
Landowners
Whether you’re planning on expanding, diversifying your business, or are interested in conservation opportunities, here are some of the ways the Solstice Wetland Mapper can assist:
Subdividing or buying a new parcel of land for residential or agricultural use?
Understand where wetlands are located on your property to help facilitate the subdivision process.
Delineate wet areas to help determine total available cultivation acres or identify permanent wetlands for grazing livestock.
Delineate wetland boundaries and type of wetland to estimate mitigation required by the Alberta Wetland Policy to remove (i.e., infill or drain) a wetland (or wetlands).
Interested in restoring or conserving wetlands on your property or improving wildlife habitat?
Identify potential wetland restoration opportunities, where payment can be received for restored wetlands on your property through the provincial Wetland Replacement Program.
Municipalities
Adding the Solstice Wetland Mapper to your municipal “toolbox” will help bridge the knowledge gap by enabling your organization to achieve the following:
Accurately identify and delineate wetlands within your area of interest, including number and area of each wetland basin or wetland complex, wetland class types and wetland function (requires field verification to determine).
Identify potential wetland restoration opportunities in your area on private land or municipal land to capitalize on enhancing or expanding natural capital (e.g., green infrastructure) and increasing the benefits associated with ecological goods and services produced by wetlands.
Enhance climate resiliency and mitigate risk associated with climate change by facilitating the identification of areas for strategic investment in wetland restoration and conservation to protect source water and important municipal infrastructure, while reducing the cost of providing water filtration and flood mitigation services to residences. Understanding the distribution and extent of wetlands (through detailed wetland inventories) is key to building or retaining the ecosystem goods and services provided by wetlands that serve as natural capital or green infrastructure.
Infrastructure Developers or Project Managers
If you are looking to minimize potential risk associated with impacting wetlands, the Solstice’s Wetland Mapper can assist you by:
Accurately identifying and delineating wetlands within your area of interest, including number and area of each wetland basin or wetland complex, wetland class types and wetland function (requires field verification to determine).
Providing high level environmental constraints or environmental sensitivity mapping relative to wetlands to aid in guiding land use optimization, project siting and other project planning initiatives.
FAQS
Have a question about Solstice Wetland Mapper?
Why do I need to know if wetlands are on my land?
Under the provincial Water Act, landowners do not “own” the water in any waterbody, including wetlands, even if the wetland or waterbody areas are not listed within a legal land survey. Since the implementation of the Alberta Wetland Policy in 2013, all impacts to wetlands must be mitigated following the mitigation hierarchy of prioritizing wetland avoidance first, followed by minimization, and as a last resort wetland replacement, where negative impacts cannot be avoided or mitigated. As such, any impacts to wetlands (including peatlands and swamps), such as draining, infilling, or other modifications, require that a provincial Water Act approval application, along with a Wetland Assessment and Impact Report, including a wetland mitigation and replacement plan, be completed and filed with Alberta Environment and Parks.
I don’t have any long-term standing water on my land, what is considered a wetland?
Under the Alberta Wetland Policy, wetlands are defined as any area of land that holds water for a long enough period of time to promote the formation of water altered soils, establishment of water loving plants and associated biological activity adapted to wet environments. These include mineral wetlands (shallow open water, marshes, and swamps) and peatlands (bogs and fens).
It is important to note that wetlands can take many different forms and may or may not contain standing water, as many temporary or seasonal wetlands only hold water for a short period of time (i.e., days to weeks) following a heavy rainfall or after spring melt. Additionally, many wetlands in agricultural areas of the province have been significantly altered due to agricultural production activities and may no longer resemble their natural form. As such, it can be very difficult to accurately identify and delineate wetland areas on the landscape.
What are the potential costs of wetlands on my land?
Wetland replacement or compensation costs for permanent impacts to a wetland vary depending on the location within the province, the size of the wetland, and the relative value of the wetland. Wetlands that are determined to have a high relative value require higher replacement (compensation) costs than wetlands with a lower relative value, which is based on the wetland replacement ratios set out under the Alberta Wetland Mitigation Directive (2018).
How quickly can results be generated ?
Using our cutting-edge approach to wetland classification, we are able to deliver a final mapping product within 3 -5 business days after placing your order.
How much does Solstice’s Wetland Mapping save in field verification costs?
Field verification costs can vary depending on the number of wetlands on a property, but the cost savings are typically between 30-40%.
How accurate is the wetland mapping?
The mapping is up to 95% accurate.
Why cant I use the wetland merged inventory?
While the Alberta merged wetland inventory provides useful information about the potential number and distribution of wetlands in an area, the accuracy and resolution of the free data is variable, as it represents a composite of 35 different wetland inventories collected over a span of 17 years. As such, it generally does not contain sufficient accuracy and precision to help you predict the cost associated with replacing impacted wetlands.