United States Department of Transportation
i
Wetland Plant Species Composition Influences Site Water Use
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2023-10-01
[PDF-5.58 MB]
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Edition:Final Report
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Abstract:The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is one of the leading organizations in wetland mitigation within the state of Colorado. In an effort to optimize and prioritize their mitigation activities, and to ensure they do not infringe on Colorado Water Law nor downstream water rights, CDOT was interested in understanding the water use of restored wetlands. This study investigated whether wetland species composition affects wetland water consumption. Water-use measurements were taken throughout the summer of 2022 at 2 restored wetland sites in Colorado’s Front Range; one in St. Vrain State Park near Longmont, Colorado and the other at McMurry Natural Area in Fort Collins, Colorado. Water-use measurements were taken on five focal species representing dominant wetland species; Salix exigua (Coyote Willow), Populus deltoides (Plains Cottonwood), Typha latifolia. (Cattail), Phalaris arundinacea (Reed Canarygrass), and Carex emoryi (Emory Sedge). In this study, the focal species transpired different amounts of water, and species lost similar amounts of water at both sites despite differences in soil type and groundwater flow. Communities with an even balance of species lose less water to transpiration than wetlands with communities solely comprised of plants with high water-use rates. Species transpire similar amounts of water regardless of site or location. Thus, transpiration between impacted and restored sites will be similar so long as the species composition is also similar.
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