Wetlands restoration at hazardous waste sites in northern New Jersey
- McLaren/Hart Environmental Engineering, Warren, NJ (United States). ChemRisk Div.
Under the strict requirements of the New Jersey Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act, remedial activities conducted in wetland areas must include provisions for restoration of the disturbed wetlands. The Act calls for the restoration of the functions of the effected wetlands to conditions similar to the preexisting functions. Wetlands restoration in these circumstances usually includes the regrading of the excavated area using imported top soil and planting of hydrophytic trees, shrubs and herbaceous species to restore the vegetative community. The restoration of the vegetative community is usually based on the characteristics of the predisturbance plant community. At most sites, the natural hydrologic regime is not modified by remediation and supplemental support is not required. Much of the freshwater wetland sites that require restoration in northern New Jersey are dominated by red maple (Acer rubrum forests). The success rate of restoring these areas is mixed, depending on a variety of environmental factors, some of which are often unknown. This paper presents a synopsis of several wetland mitigation projects that have been conducted over the past two years in northern New Jersey. In each instance, wetland restoration was conducted following the excavation of contaminated soils. In terms of plant survival rates and vegetative cover, one of the sites was highly successful, another was marginally successful, and third site is still being monitored. The lessons learned from these sites will be used in mitigating other wetlands sites and will hopefully increase the success rate of these types of projects.
- OSTI ID:
- 382750
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137-; ISBN 1-880611-03-1; TRN: IM9645%%301
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) world conference, Vancouver (Canada), 5-9 Nov 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Second SETAC world congress (16. annual meeting): Abstract book. Global environmental protection: Science, politics, and common sense; PB: 378 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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