Environmental observations of a riparian ecosystem during flood season

Mitsch, William J.; Rust, William; Behnke, Ann; Lai, Larry

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/89981 Copy

Description

Title

Environmental observations of a riparian ecosystem during flood season

Author(s)

• Mitsch, William J.
• Rust, William
• Behnke, Ann
• Lai, Larry

Contributor(s)

Illinois Institute of Technology

Issue Date

1979-08

Keyword(s)

• Water resources development
• Water resources development--Illinois
• Aquatic ecology
• Wetlands
• Flooding
• Sedimentation
• Riparian ecosystems
• Wwater quality
• Floodplain

Geographic Coverage

Illinois (state)

Abstract

Dynamics of floodplain wetlands along the Kankakee River in Northeastern Illinois were studied during the Spring flood season of 1979. The study involved hydrology, water chemistry and sedimentation measurements. The wetlands study areas were dominated by silver maple (Acer saccharinum) with river birch (Betula nigra), pin oak (Quercus palustris), America elm (Ulmus americana) and swamp white oak (Q. - bicolor) as subdominants. The floodplain forest study site was inundated for 62 to 80 days, depending on location, during March - May 1979. Flooding was determined to occur at a river discharge of 4000 to 4500 cfs and the floodplain forest was determined to be under water 66 percent of the years for at least 10 days since 1917. Flooding has not occurred at all in only five years during that period. Approximately 6.2 million cubic meters of water was stored in the entire wetland area, this representing 2.3 percent of the floodwater above bankfull discharge at a downstream location. Water quality during flooding indicated that few spatial patterns existed on different floodplain sites and no differences were seen in the floodplain and main channel water quality of the river. Groundwater showed increasing orthophosphates and decreasing nitrates after floodwater receded. Sedimentation plates placed on the floodplain prior to flooding collected an average of 590 g/m2 of sediments, representing a gross deposition of 4500 metric tons of sediments on the entire wetland area. No consistent spatial pattern of sediment deposition was noted.

Publisher

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Water Resources Center

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/89981

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

• U.S. Department of the Interior
• U.S. Geological Survey

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 1979 held by the the authors

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