Wetlands perform important functions including pollution abatement, protection of groundwater (which is the source of many Dracut residents' drinking water), flood control, storm damage prevention as well as providing habitat for plants, invertebrates, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians and other wildlife.
Under the he Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act (M.G.L. Chapter 131, § 40), no one may "remove, fill, dredge, or alter" any wetland, floodplain, bank, land under a water body, land within 100 feet of a wetland, or land within 200 feet of a perennial stream or river, without a permit from the local Conservation Commission".