DUDEK - Creating Wetlands to Mimic Nature

Natural Resources Management

Creating Wetlands Needs to Mimic Nature
Hydrology and vegetation are the keys to any created wetlands.

“Unless you provide the appropriate hydrology, you aren’t creating wetlands,” said Michael Sweesy, Dudek’s principal landscape architect and senior habitat restoration specialist. “Vegetation is one expression of site hydrology. The goal for any wetlands project is to establish a natural system in terms of hydrology and vegetation. This requires the adoption of design measures that invite an adjacent wetlands system into a wetlands creation area.”

To create a natural wetlands system, Sweesy recommends the following steps:

Model the site’s hydrology to determine the volume and character of runoff flow and how this relates to stream morphology.
Assess existing groundwater characteristics to understand subsurface water availability. Subsurface water can supplement, and, in rare cases, substitute for surface hydrology.
Analyze soils at depth to determine the levels of soluble elements (i.e. salts), which can be detrimental to vegetation. “By establishing the right hydrology, soil impurities can be flushed from the upper soil to depths below the root zone, allowing for the establishment of self-sustaining vegetation,” explained Sweesy.
Recognize that creek flow may potentially change over time. Make sure water cannot be diverted from the site leaving the wetlands high and dry. Take care to avoid downstream flooding or erosive conditions, which can impact private property, water quality, percolation and vegetation.
Placing irrigation on the outer edges of created wetlands to protect equipment from active creek flows that can damage irrigation components.

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