Biodegradable Floating Wetlands

Pipe Creek Wetland is located in Sandusky, Ohio near Cedar Point where Pipe Creek meets Lake Erie and forms a freshwater estuary. Due to its proximity this estuary is under lake driven water level flucuations, such as seiche events. 

Historically, Pipe Creek Wetland has undergone multiple landuse changes. At one point a private owner tried to fill and cover the entire wetland in the middle of the night. Thanks to other neighbors and land owners he was stopped mid-fill and only a portion of the wetland was covered. 

Because of seiche events and water level changes, the vegetation and seed bank has also gone through dramatic changes. Just a few years ago this wetland was entriely covered with an invasive species, Phragmites australis, but high water levels drowned out the invasive species so this was our prime time to move in with native plant.

The goal of this project was to reintroduce native wetland plant species that historically inhabited this beautiful estuary to restore the native seed bank and to bring back healthy vegetation that benefits all wildlife, as well as improving the water quality. The idea behind the biodegradable floating wetlands is that eventually the wood will rot away long after these plants have established themselves and spread their seed. The way in which the biodegradable wetlands were constructed can handle extreme water level changes so they were a better soltution than their non-biodegradable counterparts. Stay tuned for updated photos on how these wetlands evolve over time.