Restoration of a Canadian prairie wetland with agricultural and municipal wastewater

Journal Article · Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1999 · Environmental Management

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s002679900212· OSTI ID:6333767

White, J S; Bayley, S E ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton (Canada). Dept. of Biological Sciences

A rapid development and approval process was employed by Ducks Unlimited Canada and other stakeholders to restore a 1246-ha (3079-acre) northern prairie wetland in southern Alberta, Canada, with 3640 m[sup 3]/day (800,000 US gallons) of municipal wastewater and beef processing wastewater. A large nongovernmental organization hastened restoration with a development process that outlined restoration goals and management objectives to satisfy a dual mandate of wastewater treatment and wildlife habitat creation. In 1995, after five years of wastewater additions, the basins had been refilled and the surrounding uplands had been acquired and restored. The Frank Lake Conservation Area currently provides high-quality habitat for a variety of wildlife in a region where many of the native plants and animals species have been lost due to habitat loss and fragmentation. The success of upland and water management strategies is reflected in the increase of target species' abundance and richness: 50 shorebird species, 44 waterfowl species, 15 raptor species, and 28 other new bird species have returned to the marsh since restoration. As well, significant N and P reduction occurs as waters flow through the first basin of the marsh. The management strategies of this project that satisfied a dual mandate serve as a model to guide managers of other large-scale wetland restoration projects.

• OSTI ID: 6333767
• Journal Information: Environmental Management, Vol. 24:1; ISSN 0364-152X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
ALBERTA
GROUND DISPOSAL
LAND RECLAMATION
MUNICIPAL WASTES
RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
WASTE WATER
WATER RESOURCES
WETLANDS
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
CANADA
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ECOSYSTEMS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LIQUID WASTES
MANAGEMENT
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RESOURCES
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER
540350* - Environment
Aquatic- Site Resource & Use Studies- (1990-)
320604 - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Municipalities & Community Systems- Municipal Waste Management- (1980-)