Co-author: Kayla Reed, UW Stevens Point
Title: Reconnecting a riverine wetland: Constructing a hydrologic budget for a restored wetland
Abstract: Restored wetlands can help connect a river to its floodplain and likewise serve as areas for water storage and potentially groundwater recharge. As such, understanding the hydrology of these wetlands is critical for restoration efforts and sustainability. We are seeking to construct a hydrologic budget for a restored riverine wetland in the floodplain of the Little Plover River. We are currently working to accurately estimate each component of the wetland's water budget to determine water storage capacity and whether its reconnection to the Little Plover River has been successful. We hypothesized that surface water inflow from the Little Plover River will be the major input in the hydrologic budget of the restored wetland and, to determine this, we are monitoring stream discharge, depth to groundwater, precipitation, and evapotranspiration. The results of this project are helping us to better understand the hydrology of this wetland so that future management and restoration projects can be implemented more successfully. This project also provides hands-on opportunities for undergraduate students to learn field techniques in hydrology in addition to serving as a public demonstration site for the values of reconnecting streams and rivers to wetlands.
View Poster:
https://www.wisconsinwetlands.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Lydia-Schiedermayer-Poster.pdf.pdf
Bio: Lydia Schiedermayer is a member of the UW-Stevens Point Student Chapter of the American Water Resources Association, which exists to educate students on water resource issues and employment possibilities. The group's goal is to connect with those interested in water resources, as well as collect, organize, and disseminate ideas and information about water resource science and technology.