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Technical reports
In the course of their work, District scientists and other environmental professionals study a host of water-related topics and prepare technical reports on their findings. See an overview of each report published by the District.
Wetlands recognized for their value; projects seek to restore their many functions
By Ed Garland
Once an excavated “dragline” ditch, this wetland was restored to its more natural condition, attracting native plants and wildlife.
PALM BAY, Fla. — Florida’s coastal wetlands were historically considered mosquito factories, uninviting wastelands with no inherent value.
For decades, the Indian River Lagoon’s marshes were filled, ditched and diked — mostly to control mosquito populations — with little regard for the other ecological values the marshes provided. By the 1970s, more than 40,000 acres of lagoon coastal wetlands (approximately 75 percent of the lagoonwide total) were impounded and isolated from the lagoon. Flooding these isolated impoundments with wells or pumps stopped most mosquito production, but also impacted the vegetation and many wetland functions.
Today, the ecological value of these transitional regions between land and sea are recognized. Over the last 25 years, the St. Johns River Water Management District and others have restored or reconnected more than 29,000 acres of coastal wetland impoundments.
“Salt marshes serve as a critical habitat for fisheries and wildlife,” says Ron Brockmeyer, an environmental scientist with the District. “They can also provide water quality benefits by acting as a filter to capture nutrients in the water.”
Man-made dragline ditches are clearly visible in this photo taken before a restoration effort (top). Immediately after restoration (bottom), former ditches are barely visible and the land’s elevation is at a more natural marsh level. In just over a year, the restored marsh appears more natural, with native plant species re-establishing themselves.
Restoration projects under way in Brevard and Volusia counties seek to reverse some of the damage done to these fragile ecosystems, allowing juvenile fish and crustaceans to flourish. One such project is in Volusia County, where about 600 acres of marsh is being restored. In the 1960s, large excavations known as draglines were used to cut through the marsh, leaving behind deep, wide ditches and “spoil” piles. Salt marsh mosquitoes lay their eggs on moist soils and these eggs hatch in huge numbers when the marsh is flooded by tides or rain. Dragline ditching converted large expanses of salt marsh to ditch and spoil piles, while altering the hydrology of the remaining wetlands and providing access for mosquito-eating fish.
The restoration project requires the use of amphibious bucket loaders to knock the earthen spoil piles back into the ditches to regain a marsh elevation. Removing the spoil piles also reduces exotic and other upland vegetation that aren’t naturally found in a marsh. With careful grading and the small shallow ditches that remain, restoration does not result in increased mosquito breeding.
A diverse group of partners is striving to improve local wetland conditions and is implementing this work. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) National Coastal Wetland grant through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) provided funding to the District. The District, FWC and Volusia County Mosquito Control are providing matching funds.
Mosquito Control is implementing the project with its amphibious excavators. This work is being conducted in and with the full support of several state parks, Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve and Canaveral National Seashore.
“Large-scale restoration projects like this one often involve multiple partners to garner the necessary funding and project support,” says Jeff Beal, FWC marine habitat coordinator for the lagoon region. “This project is the result of like-minded multiple agencies working together toward a common, far-reaching goal.”
Over time, wetland plants, fish and other wildlife return to the marsh, breathing new life into the area.
“Coastal wetlands are an extremely productive habitat,” says the District’s Brockmeyer. “They serve as a nursery habitat for a whole range of fish.”
FWC’s Beal notes that the project benefits the public because “restoring these marshes will maximize their productivity in terms of vegetation, wading and shorebirds, fishery species such as snook, redfish, tarpon, shrimp and blue crabs.”
How quickly do marshes recover from the damaging effects of human manipulation? Experts are working with the University of Central Florida to find out. Sites restored over the past several years are being monitored to determine how quickly native vegetation returns and provides wetland functions.
“We know the age of the restoration within each location in the lagoon,” Brockmeyer says. “We have a timeline of recovery. We’re distributing monitoring sites from the oldest areas to the most recent.”
If phase two of this marsh restoration project is selected for funding by USFWS, work on severely ditched wetlands on public lands will continue through 2012.
Meanwhile, federal funding is helping pay for coastal wetland restoration projects at North Peninsula State Park (NPSP) in Volusia County and at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR) in Brevard County.
Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) received $167 million for marine and coastal habitat restoration. The District is using $1.1 million to restore impounded coastal wetlands at MINWR by scraping down at least 12 miles of dikes impounding water.
“The NOAA Recovery Act funding has allowed our work with our partners at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge to advance rapidly,” says Brockmeyer. “It will provide benefits for fish and wildlife years ahead of our projected schedule while supporting many local construction-related jobs.”
The District is providing $90,000 and has established project partnerships with MINWR, Florida Resource Conservation and Development Council, and the Florida Park Service.
At NPSP, more than 30 acres of marsh that had been buried under mountains of spoil material is reemerging.
From the 1880s through 1950s, significant navigation channel dredging activities were undertaken to create and maintain what is now northeast Florida’s section of the current Intracoastal Waterway. In many areas, the channel was cut through pristine wetlands, depositing large amounts of spoil beside the new channel and filling more than 1,400 acres of this important estuarine nursery habitat. Such was the case at NPSP.
Heavy equipment operators have excavated and removed the spoil material and graded the site to match elevations in adjacent marshes. The restored surface of the marsh is then planted with species similar to those found in nearby marshes.
“This component will create a healthy, productive saltmarsh habitat, which will be connected to tidal influence,” Brockmeyer says. “It will also increase tidal connection of approximately 30 additional acres of saltmarsh, which has been isolated by spoil deposition.”
Overall, this NOAA Recovery Act initiative will restore more than 105 acres of spoil areas and ditches to critically important coastal wetlands. It will also enhance the function of nearly 900 additional acres of wetland by removing dikes and spoil that restrict the flow of water.
For additional information, see our coastal wetlands restoration web pages.
