Does anyone here have suggestions for wetland design references. I've seen alot of vague guidelines with broad suggestions like "consider this or that", but very little specifics on what has worked and what has not. I'm fairly new at this and trying to learn. Is there a good book or two out there? Are there some websites with direct information. I'd like to see plans that have been implemented, whether they worked, why and why not. I'm beginning to think that this information is possessed only in the minds of people who have been doing this work for the past decades and the rest of us just have to hope we meet one of you...

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Jason

I did a Google search on "wetland design" and came up with oodles of information. Then try Amazon. I have no really ideas of what is the best and has real results, but in my limited experience, the number one, two and three most important factors is controlling the soil moisture/water level. If you can't do that then you end up with weeds.

Also, it is nice to have the opportunity to wipe the slate clean if something goes wrong. For example if tamarisk moves in, the best way to control it is to flood it out. You will still have to treat the margins, but the task will be greatly reduced. So, having the ability to flood the area on a temporary basis would be nice. Once again, water control is everything.

Thanks Patrick,

Yes, I tried google. How do you think I found you guys? Yes, I've considered soil and hydrology. But this is typical of the information I'm find out there. Lots of broad statements about "consider your soil types", "make sure you have hydrology", "plant appropriate vegetation for you water levels". The ability to flood is a good piece of advice though, never thought of that.

My problem is that I'm trying to find specific examples. What does this process look like. For a particular site, what decisions were made about the soils, how did they make those decisions. How did they plan their hydrology? What constraints were they under and what did they do to work within those constraints. We've been at this for decades. There are results out there. Where are they?

Jason

Did you try every single reference that google produced? Perhaps the quickest route to some answers with specifics is contact the Corps of Engineers. There must be thousands of projects that they either know about or monitor. Then track down wetland mitigation banks. They will have something specific to either tell you, or they may have had to go through a detailed process of describing the dynamics of their wetlands in order to insure sustainability and qualify as a wetland mitigation bank.

That is a whole topic in itself, since most wetlands are successional to upland without some sort of disturbance. In other words, sedimentation happens.

Jason,
When you are looking to design a wetland mitigation site, one of the first things to do is decide what you are trying to accomplish (goals). This is most likely dictated by regulation. If you are only trying to make a wetland (dominated by hydrophitic plants, wetland hydrology), that is different from trying to create specific habitat, or preventing invasives, or creating particular functions.

Good point Andrew.
Jason,
Is this an academic pursuit or are you looking to apply this information? Due to the complexity of the subject of wetland design and how very easily and quickly everything can go wrong, I strongly suggest you consult in-person with an expert before attempting to design or construct a wetland.

That being said, here are a few good references for wetland design:
Mitsch, W.J. and S.E. Jorgensen. 2004. Ecological Engineering and Ecosystem Restoration. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. 411 pp.

Constructed Wetland Design: The First Generation
Sherwood C. Reed and Donald S. Brown
Water Environment Research, Vol. 64, No. 6 (Sep. - Oct., 1992), pp. 776-781

The design of vegetative constructed wetlands for the treatment of highway runoff
RBE Shutes, DM Revitt, IM Lagerberg, VCE … - Science of the Total Environment, The, 1999

Hydrologic design of a wetland: advantages of continuous modeling
KD Konyha, DT Shaw, KW Weiler - Ecological Engineering, 1995

Design and performance of a pilot-scale constructed wetland treatment system for natural
LE Kanagy, BM Johnson, JW Castle, JH … - Bioresource Technology, 2008

Small Scale Constructed Wetland Treatment Systems: Feasibility, Design Criteria and O&M Requirements (Werf Reports)
by S D Wallace, R L Knight

I'm getting some good information here. I'm working on a few small compensatory mitigation projects (less than one acre). I'm currently looking at small seasonal wetlands and stream side riparian habitats, not large restorations or treatment marshes. The goals would be meeting regulatory responsibilities, and creating good habitat, I think these can go hand in hand. There do seem to be good engineering resources for the treatment wetlands (stormwater and sewage). I've realized that wetland creation is a very complicated and young science, maybe still more of an art. I've also found that most past mitigations have failed, usually due to poor hydrology. I have spoken with other local wetland mitigation, restoration and design professionals and feel I've been on the right track. I guess this is a very practical based inquiry in that I am applying this information, but also a somewhat academic inquiry as I'm now very interested in the topic.

I'm looking into the resources you posted, thanks.

I have accumulated and published over 600 megabytes of public domain wetland construction and restoration information from the internet. It is available at wetlandtraining.com or forghomeenvironmental.com. It includes info from EPA, USACE, NRCS, USFWS, USGS some states, and others.