Backfilling Canals as a Wetland Restoration Technique in Coastal Louisiana

摘要

The refilling of a canal by moving the spill bank material into the canal isreferred to as backfilling. The purpose of this field and laboratory study was to investigate the factors that affect backfilling success. The major factors determining backfilling restoration success are the depth of the canal, soil type, canal dimensions, locale, dredge operator skill, and permitting conditions. Plugging the canal has no apparent effect on water depth or vegetation cover, with the exception that submerged aquatic vegetation may be more frequently observed behind backfilled canals with plugs, than in backfilled canals without plugs. Backfilled canals were shallower if they were older, in soils lower in organic matter, and backfilled off-site. Backfilling the canal would restore wetlands at a cost of $1,200 to $3,400/ha, depending on whether only the direct, or also the indirect impacts, respectively, were included.