Stormwater Wetlands! By: Carli, Marley, & Melissa

Stormwater wetlands are created to slow down the movement of water during storms or snow melt and to reduce the flooding in the surrounding areas. These wetlands, although they contain less biodiversity than natural wetlands, are capable of removing pollutants that contaminate the stormwater. Pollutants removed include: heavy metals, pesticides, fertilizer, oils. This is important because it reduces contamination to nearby water. Nutrient removal is especially important because, nutrient pollution in ponds, lakes, or rivers creates excess algae growth.  The  death and decay of excess algae can reduce oxygen and create dad zones where many stream organisms die.

Sources: Department of Ecology State of Washington 

 

Source: Carli, Marley, Melissa

Captions:  Picture of Experimental Wetland 1 at Olentangy River Wetland Research Park. 

 

Source: Stefanik, Kay C., Mitsch, William J. Science Direct: Ecological Engineering. Volume 39, February 2012.

This chart shows a few different wetlands and the relationship between their levels of diversity and their productivity. As you can see, the Olentangy River Wetlands are one of the highest functioning wetland habitats that have a high level of diversity and productivity.

Source: Marley, Melissa, Carli Swartz

Caption: View of an wetland outflow at the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park.