DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF FUNCTIONAL WETLAND MITIGATION - CASE-STUDIES IN OHIO AND SOUTH-CAROLINA

Wetland development offers the opportunity to replace and enhance ecol ogical functions lost through permitted wetland impacts, Components ne cessary for the restoration and creation of wetlands are presented and examples of wetland construction are described to illustrate the appl ication of wetland design. Land contours, top soil, hydrology and vege tation were manipulated to develop wooded wetlands at sites in Ohio an d South Carolina. In Ohio, approximately 30 ha of former crop land/sod farm were modified to bring water from the adjacent creek onto the si te and hold it to saturate soils for wetland development. A 2.8 ha pen ding area and channels were constructed, berms were built to slow me e xit of stormwater runoff, and trees were planted in spring 1994. The m itigation site lies adjacent to a park and high school, thereby also p roviding community benefits and wetland education opportunities. In So uth Carolina, 9.5 ha of an abandoned soil borrow pit were convened int o wooded wetlands, hydrologically connected to an adjacent swamp. Nati ve plants were removed from the 4 ha of isolated wetlands to be impact ed, and were augmented with nursery stock to create the mitigation wet land. Monitoring of vegetation, hydrology and wildlife usage of the co nstructed system continues to document wetland development and success .