Principal Investigator: George Vellidis (University of Georgia)
Principal Investigator: Matt C. Smith (University of Georgia)
Principal Investigator: Richard Lowrance (University of Georgia)
Principal Investigator: Robert K. Hubbard (Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory)
Principal Investigator: Joseph C. Johnson, Jr. (University of Georgia)
Principal Investigator: Larry Newton (University of Georgia)
Sponsor: GWRI
Start Date: 1991-04-01; Completion Date: 1992-03-31;
Keywords: wetlands, restoration, bioremediation, nutrients, ground water, surface runoff, nitrogen, phosphorus
Description:
The feasibility and effectiveness of restoring a riparian wetland and using it as a bioremediation site for nutrients moving downslope from an animal waste application site is being evaluated. In question is the short-term effectiveness of the restored wetland in enhancing the quality of the water leaving the site. Details on wetland restoration and instrumentation used for measurement of nutrient movement through the wetland in surface runoff and shallow groundwater are presented. The data from the first year of restoration are inconclusive and indicate that the vegetation which was used to restore the wetland is too recently established to significantly affect nutrient assimilation and retention in the wetland. The study is being continued for an additional 2-year period at the end of which the effectiveness of the restored wetland will be reevaluated. The instrumentation, the sampling schedule, and the techniques that are described are well suited to evaluate the bioremediation potential of a restored wetland.