Abstract
Wetland development offers the opportunity to replace and enhance ecological functions lost through permitted wetland impacts. Components necessary for the restoration and creation of wetlands are presented and examples of wetland construction are described to illustrate the application of wetland design. Land contours, top soil, hydrology and vegetation were manipulated to develop wooded wetlands at sites in Ohio and South Carolina. In Ohio, approximately 30 ha of former crop land/sod farm were modified to bring water from the adjacent creek onto the site and hold it to saturate soils for wetland development. A 2.8 ha ponding area and channels were constructed, berms were built to slow the exit of stormwater runoff, and trees were planted in spring 1994. The mitigation site lies adjacent to a park and high school, thereby also providing community benefits and wetland education opportunities. In South Carolina, 9.5 ha of an abandoned soil borrow pit were converted into wooded wetlands, hydrologically connected to an adjacent swamp. Native plants were removed from the 4 ha of isolated wetlands to be impacted, and were augmented with nursery stock to create the mitigation wetland. Monitoring of vegetation, hydrology and wildlife usage of the constructed system continues to document wetland development and success.
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McCuskey, S.A., Conger, A.W. & Hillestad, H.O. Design and implementation of functional wetland mitigation: Case studies in Ohio and South Carolina. Water Air Soil Pollut 77, 513–532 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00478436
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00478436