What other areas are protected?

In addition to BVWs and floodplains, the Act also covers banks, dunes, beaches, vernal pools, land under lakes and ponds, and land under or within 200 ft. of rivers and streams which flow year round. Technical definitions are found in the law and its accompanying regulations. Many wetland resource areas are defined by the abundance of wetland plants and by their water regime or hydrology, with the latter sometimes determined by soil type. Riverfront resource areas are in most cases measured from the top of the bank of a river or stream.