Wetland management reduces sediment and nutrient loading to the upper Mississippi River
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Abstract
Restored riparian wetlands in the Upper Mississippi River basin have potential to remove sediment and nutrients from tributaries before they flow into the Mississippi River. For 3 yr we calculated retention efficiencies of a marsh complex, which consisted of a restored marsh and an adjacent natural marsh that were connected to Halfway Creek, a small tributary of the Mississippi. We measured sediment, N, and P removal through a mass balance budget approach, N removal through denitrification, and N and P removal through mechanical soil excavation. The marsh complex had average retention rates of approximately 30 Mg sediment ha−1 yr−1, 26 kg total N ha−1 yr−1, and 20 kg total P ha−1 yr−1. Water flowed into the restored marsh only during high-discharge events. Although the majority of retention occurred in the natural marsh, portions of the natural marsh were hydrologically disconnected at low discharge due to historical over-bank sedimentation. The natural marsh removed >60% of sediment, >10% of P, and >5% of N loads (except the first year, when it was a N source). The marsh complex was a source of NH4+ and soluble reactive P. The average denitrification rate for the marsh complex was 2.88 mg N m−2 h−1. Soil excavation removed 3600 Mg of sediment, 5.6 Mg of N, and 2.7 Mg of P from the restored marsh. The marsh complex was effective in removing sediment and nutrients from storm flows; however, retention could be increased if more water was diverted into both restored and natural marshes before entering the river.
Publication type | Article |
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Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Title | Wetland management reduces sediment and nutrient loading to the upper Mississippi River |
Series title | Journal of Environmental Quality |
DOI | 10.2134/jeq2012.0248 |
Volume | 42 |
Issue | 2 |
Year Published | 2013 |
Language | English |
Publisher | American Society of Agronomy |
Publisher location | Madison, WI |
Contributing office(s) | Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center |
Description | 11 p. |
Larger Work Type | Article |
Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
Larger Work Title | Journal of Environmental Quality |
First page | 573 |
Last page | 583 |
Country | United States |
Other Geospatial | Mississippi |
Online Only (Y/N) | N |
Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |