Wetland Restoration
EPA Grant Number: R825433C020Subproject: this is subproject number 020 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R825433
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: EERC - Center for Ecological Health Research (Cal Davis)
Center Director: Rolston, Dennis E.
Title: Wetland Restoration
Investigators: Rejmankova, Eliska
Institution: University of California - Davis
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: June 30, 1995 through June 30, 1998
RFA: Exploratory Environmental Research Centers (1992) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Center for Ecological Health Research , Targeted Research
Objective:
This project is designed to understand the effects of wetland disturbance on the nutrient budget of the Clear Lake. Surveys conducted suggest that past disturbances have been the most important process causing cultural eutrophication. The experimental restoration part of this project was the basis for a successful Lake County grants program to develop a demonstration project for habitat restoration. Investigators will concentrate in further developing an understanding of plant ecophysiology to aid in restoration attempts, but will also investigate the establishment success, recover rates, and ecosystem effects of ongoing restoration projects. About 85% of the emergent Scirpus marsh was lost due to agricultural reclamation, and it is possible that a significant fraction could be reconstructed. Upland erosion processes in the Clear Lake Watershed are typical of those that occur in the Coast Range watersheds of the Sacramento and San Joaquin drainages.
Approach:
A series of mesocosm and microcosm experiments were built at Clear Lake and at the Davis campus for evaluating species for use in reclaimed settling basins. Five local macrophytes were tested for their competitive abilities and nutrient uptake characteristics under simulated wetland conditions. The study followed the movement of nutrients within the soil, water and plant parts throughout a seasonal cycle. Based on analysis of the results, the two optimum macrophyte species for use in a vegetated settling basin are bullrush (Scirpus acutus) and common cattail (Typha latifolia). The majority of the marshes that were drained were dominated by bullrush. Bullrush rates higher for other considerations such as habitat value; it is the recommended for use as the dominant species in wetland reconstruction.
Expected Results:
The ongoing habitat restoration projects in the Clear Lake Basin offer considerable opportunities for scientific investigation. Current projects are based upon operator experience and guidelines based upon limited experience. Much more research is needed on the ecology of commonly used restoration species, on establishment techniques, and on the success rate and ecological effects of restored habitats. For example, on the basis of recommendations based upon preliminary results of this study and other considerations, the County has secured funds for a design study with the Army Corps of Engineers to plan the reclamation of 750 acres of agricultural land for use as a vegetated settling basin. The County will be applying for funds to purchase the land once this design study is completed, and the results of this investigation should receive a large-scale test (and provide a test-bed for further investigations).
Supplemental Keywords:
Watershed, aquatic ecosystem restoration, Clear Lake, habitat restoration, nutrient uptake, mesocosm experiments, eutrophication., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Water, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Hydrology, Nutrients, Aquatic Ecosystems & Estuarine Research, Water & Watershed, Restoration, Aquatic Ecosystem, algal blooms, Environmental Monitoring, Ecology and Ecosystems, Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration, Watersheds, wetlands, marine ecosystem, eutrophication, watershed management, nutrient loading, bloom dynamics, nutrient concentrations, nutrient sensitive ecosystems, nutrient enrichment, nutrient flux, nutrient kinetics, restoration strategies, algal growth, esturarine eutrophication, Clear Lake, diagnostic indicators, lakes, nutrient stress, ecological recovery, wetland restoration, mesocosm, aquatic ecosystems, environmental stress, environmental rehabilitation, ecosystem restoration, lake ecosysyems, riparian ecosystem integrity, riparian habitat, mesocosm experiments, lake ecosystemsProgress and Final Reports:
Main Center Abstract and Reports:
R825433 EERC - Center for Ecological Health Research (Cal Davis) Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R825433C001 Potential for Long-Term Degradation of Wetland Water Quality Due to Natural Discharge of Polluted Groundwater
R825433C002 Sacramento River Watershed
R825433C003 Endocrine Disruption in Fish and Birds
R825433C004 Biomarkers of Exposure and Deleterious Effect: A Laboratory and Field Investigation
R825433C005 Fish Developmental Toxicity/Recruitment
R825433C006 Resolving Multiple Stressors by Biochemical Indicator Patterns and their Linkages to Adverse Effects on Benthic Invertebrate Patterns
R825433C007 Environmental Chemistry of Bioavailability in Sediments and Water Column
R825433C008 Reproduction of Birds and mammals in a terrestrial-aquatic interface
R825433C009 Modeling Ecosystems Under Combined Stress
R825433C010 Mercury Uptake by Fish
R825433C011 Clear Lake Watershed
R825433C012 The Role of Fishes as Transporters of Mercury
R825433C013 Wetlands Restoration
R825433C014 Wildlife Bioaccumulation and Effects
R825433C015 Microbiology of Mercury Methylation in Sediments
R825433C016 Hg and Fe Biogeochemistry
R825433C017 Water Motions and Material Transport
R825433C018 Economic Impacts of Multiple Stresses
R825433C019 The History of Anthropogenic Effects
R825433C020 Wetland Restoration
R825433C021 Sierra Nevada Watershed Project
R825433C022 Regional Transport of Air Pollutants and Exposure of Sierra Nevada Forests to Ozone
R825433C023 Biomarkers of Ozone Damage to Sierra Nevada Vegetation
R825433C024 Effects of Air Pollution on Water Quality: Emission of MTBE and Other Pollutants From Motorized Watercraft
R825433C025 Regional Movement of Toxics
R825433C026 Effect of Photochemical Reactions in Fog Drops and Aerosol Particles on the Fate of Atmospheric Chemicals in the Central Valley
R825433C027 Source Load Modeling for Sediment in Mountainous Watersheds
R825433C028 Stress of Increased Sediment Loading on Lake and Stream Function
R825433C029 Watershed Response to Natural and Anthropogenic Stress: Lake Tahoe Nutrient Budget
R825433C030 Mercury Distribution and Cycling in Sierra Nevada Waterbodies
R825433C031 Pre-contact Forest Structure
R825433C032 Identification and distribution of pest complexes in relation to late seral/old growth forest structure in the Lake Tahoe watershed
R825433C033 Subalpine Marsh Plant Communities as Early Indicators of Ecosystem Stress
R825433C034 Regional Hydrogeology and Contaminant Transport in a Sierra Nevada Ecosystem
R825433C035 Border Rivers Watershed
R825433C036 Toxicity Studies
R825433C037 Watershed Assessment
R825433C038 Microbiological Processes in Sediments
R825433C039 Analytical and Biomarkers Core
R825433C040 Organic Analysis
R825433C041 Inorganic Analysis
R825433C042 Immunoassay and Serum Markers
R825433C043 Sensitive Biomarkers to Detect Biochemical Changes Indicating Multiple Stresses Including Chemically Induced Stresses
R825433C044 Molecular, Cellular and Animal Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect
R825433C045 Microbial Community Assays
R825433C046 Cumulative and Integrative Biochemical Indicators
R825433C047 Mercury and Iron Biogeochemistry
R825433C048 Transport and Fate Core
R825433C049 Role of Hydrogeologic Processes in Alpine Ecosystem Health
R825433C050 Regional Hydrologic Modeling With Emphasis on Watershed-Scale Environmental Stresses
R825433C051 Development of Pollutant Fate and Transport Models for Use in Terrestrial Ecosystem Exposure Assessment
R825433C052 Pesticide Transport in Subsurface and Surface Water Systems
R825433C053 Currents in Clear Lake
R825433C054 Data Integration and Decision Support Core
R825433C055 Spatial Patterns and Biodiversity
R825433C056 Modeling Transport in Aquatic Systems
R825433C057 Spatial and Temporal Trends in Water Quality
R825433C058 Time Series Analysis and Modeling Ecological Risk
R825433C059 WWW/Outreach
R825433C060 Economic Effects of Multiple Stresses
R825433C061 Effects of Nutrients on Algal Growth
R825433C062 Nutrient Loading
R825433C063 Subalpine Wetlands as Early Indicators of Ecosystem Stress
R825433C064 Chlorinated Hydrocarbons
R825433C065 Sierra Ozone Studies
R825433C066 Assessment of Multiple Stresses on Soil Microbial Communities
R825433C067 Terrestrial - Agriculture
R825433C069 Molecular Epidemiology Core
R825433C070 Serum Markers of Environmental Stress
R825433C071 Development of Sensitive Biomarkers Based on Chemically Induced Changes in Expressions of Oncogenes
R825433C072 Molecular Monitoring of Microbial Populations
R825433C073 Aquatic - Rivers and Estuaries
R825433C074 Border Rivers - Toxicity Studies