title: The Efficacy of Constructed Stream-Wetland Complexes at Reducing the Flux of Suspended Solids to Chesapeake Bay.
abstract: Studies documenting the capacity of restored streams to reduce pollutant loads indicate that they are relatively ineffective when principal watershed stressors remain intact. Novel restorations are being designed to increase the hydraulic connectivity between stream channels and floodplains to enhance pollutant removal, and their popularity has increased the need for measurements of potential load reductions. Herein we summarize input-output budgets of total suspended solids (TSS) in two Coastal Plain lowland valleys modified to create stream-wetland complexes located above the head-of-tide on the western shore of Chesapeake Bay. Loads entering (input) and exiting (output) the reconfigured valleys over three years were 103 ± 26 and 85 ± 21 tons, respectively, and 41 ± 10 and 46 ± 9 tons, respectively. In both cases, changes in loads within the reconfigured valleys were insignificant relative to cumulative errors. High variability of TSS retention among stormflow events suggests that the capacity of these systems to trap and retain solids and their sustainability depend on the magnitude of TSS loads originating upstream, design characteristics, and the frequency and magnitude of large storms. Constructed stream-wetland complexes receiving relatively high TSS loads may experience progressive physical and chemical changes that limit their sustainability.
authors.affiliation: †University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, Solomons, Maryland 20688, United States.
authors.forename: Solange
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Filoso
authors.affiliation: ‡University of Maine, School of Earth and Climate Sciences, Bryand Global Sciences Center, Orono, Maine 04469, United States.
authors.forename: Sean M C
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: †University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, Solomons, Maryland 20688, United States.
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: †University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, Solomons, Maryland 20688, United States.|§National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), 1 Park Place, Suite 300, Annapolis, Maryland 21401, United States.
authors.forename: Margaret A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Palmer
mesh_terms: D061006:Bays / Q000737:chemistry*; D008396:Maryland; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis; D053833:Wetlands
chemical_list: D012722:Sewage; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical