ABSTRACT Stevens Brook wetland is presently receiving partially treated sewage from the City of St. Albans, Vermont. The water quality in St. Albans Bay is deteriorating. There is conflicting evidence for the theory that wetlands act as a nutrient sink or as a biotic nutrient filter. This research is an investigation into the productivity and trophic food chain relationships of Stevens Brook wetland. We compared this to a non-impacted area, Scomotion Creek wetland in Plattsburgh, New York. Temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, transparency, alkalinity, conductivity, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnisium, nitrate, total phosphorus, bacteria, phytoplankton, aquatic macrophytes, and benthic invertebrates were sampled in both wetlands. The data Indicate that excessive nutrients and a large carbon source result in high phytoplankton productivity and bacterial growth. This coupled with particulate matter causes low transparency and thus a decrease in submergent vegetation and a decrease in invertebrate faunal dive...