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Wetland Restoration through Excavation: Sediment Removal Results in Dramatic Water Quality Improvement

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  • Michael C. Hassett

    (Annis Water Resources Institute, Grand Valley State University, 740 W. Shoreline Dr., Muskegon, MI 49441, USA)

  • Alan D. Steinman

    (Annis Water Resources Institute, Grand Valley State University, 740 W. Shoreline Dr., Muskegon, MI 49441, USA)

Abstract

We evaluated whether sediment excavation improved water quality in a former (pre-European settlement) wetland complex that was a farm in the early 1900s and then later in the 1990s/early 2000s was allowed to naturally refill with water and became nutrient-rich ponds plagued by legacy phosphorus issues. Two ponds were recently restored via dewatering, excavation of the surface sediment, and hydrologic reconnection to an adjacent creek to re-establish a flow-through marsh. The removal of ~103,000 m 3 of phosphorus-laden sediment and reconnection to the adjacent stream resulted in improved water quality, with a reduction in total phosphorus concentration from ~1000 μg/L to ~20 μg/L and a 40% reduction in specific conductivity in both former ponds. Soluble reactive phosphorus concentrations declined substantially in one pond, from ~720 μg/L to 3 μg/L, but not in another pond, which was partially dredged by the landowner prior to restoration. Additionally, phosphorus concentration in the downstream receiving water body also declined but to a much more modest degree. Sediment excavation was an effective restoration tool in this former agricultural system, but given the expense and potential impact on pre-existing biota, a full-system diagnosis, including cost, sediment characterization, and control of external nutrient loading, is recommended before its implementation elsewhere.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael C. Hassett & Alan D. Steinman, 2022. "Wetland Restoration through Excavation: Sediment Removal Results in Dramatic Water Quality Improvement," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-17, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:9:p:1559-:d:914403
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. David Moreno Mateos & Mary E Power & Francisco A Comín & Roxana Yockteng, 2012. "Structural and Functional Loss in Restored Wetland Ecosystems," Working Papers id:4755, eSocialSciences.
    2. David Moreno-Mateos & Mary E Power & Francisco A Comín & Roxana Yockteng, 2012. "Structural and Functional Loss in Restored Wetland Ecosystems," PLOS Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8, January.
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