Wetlands and Urbanization
Implications for the Future
Report of the Puget Sound Wetlands and Stormwater Management Research Program
The Puget Sound Wetlands and Stormwater Management Research Program (PSWSMRP) was a ten-year regional research effort intended to document the impacts of urbanization on wetlands. The wetlands included in the study were representative of those found in the Puget Sound Lowlands ecoregion, most likely to be impacted by urban development. The program’s goal was to to employ research results to improve the management of both urban wetland resources and stormwater.
The studies examined the impacts of stormwater on the five major structural components of wetlands: (1) hydrology, (2) water quality, (3) soils, (4) plants, and (5) animals. The fourteen papers in this monograph are divided into four sections: Program Overview, Descriptive Ecology, Assessment of Stormwater Effects, and Management Guidelines.
You may download the complete report or any individual chapters. The files are stored as ACROBAT PDF files. (Acrobat format)Download Complete Report: Wetlands and Urbanization: Implications for the Future (258 pages, 2,771 Kb)
For a more up-to-date version of this report, please visit CRC press.
Edited by Amanda L. Azous and Richard R. Horner
Washington State Department of Ecology, Olympia, WA
King County Water and Land Resources Division, Seattle, WA
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Washington State University Cooperative Extension, Seattle, WA
Section 1 - Overview of the Puget Sound Wetlands and Stormwater Management Research Program
This chapter describes the impetus behind the program, and the issues facing the program at its inception. It summarizes the state of knowledge on these issues at the beginning and in the early stages of the program. The paper concludes with an outline of the general experimental design of the study. (30 pages, 172 Kb)
Section 2 - Descriptive Ecology of Freshwater Wetlands in the Central Puget Sound Basin
These chapters provide a descriptive ecology of the palustrine wetlands of the central Puget Sound Lowlands, organized according to the major structural components monitored during the program.
Chapter 1 Morphology And Hydrology (15 pages, 135 Kb)
Chapter 2 Water Quality And Soils (20 pages, 161 Kb)
Chapter 3 Characterization Of Puget Sound Basin Palustrine Wetland Vegetation (19 pages, 184 Kb)
Chapter 4 Emerging Macroinvertebrate Distribution, Abundance, And Habitat Use (18 pages, 384 Kb)
Chapter 5 Amphibian Distribution, Abundance, And Habitat Use (17 pages, 195 Kb)
Chapter 6 Bird Distribution, Abundance, And Habitat Use (20 pages, 537 Kb)
Chapter 7 Small Mammal Distribution, Abundance, And Habitat Use (11 pages, 223 Kb)
Section 3 - Functional Aspects of Freshwater Wetlands in the Central Puget Sound Basin
These chapters discuss the effects of urban stormwater and other urban influences of urbanization observed in the study wetlands.
Chapter 8 Effects Of Watershed Development On Hydrology(16 pages, 225 Kb)
Chapter 9 The Effects Of Watershed Development On Water Quality And Soils (19 pages, 249 Kb)
Chapter 10 The Hydrologic Requirements Of Common Pacific Northwest Plant Species (20 pages, 184 Kb)
Chapter 11 Emergent Macroinvertebrate Communities In Relation To Watershed Development (10 pages, 71 Kb)
Chapter 12 Bird Communities In Relation To Watershed Development (12 pages, 159 Kb)
Section 4 - Management of Freshwater Wetlands in the Central Puget Sound Basin
These chapters make recommendations for managing urban stormwater and the wetlands affected by it.
Chapter 13 Managing Wetland Hydroperiod: Issues And Concerns (14 pages, 108 Kb )
Chapter 14 Wetlands And Stormwater Management Guidelines (31 pages, 145 Kb)
For information about Wetlands and Urbanization: Implications for the Future, please contact Kate O'Laughlin, supervising environmental scientist, Science and Technical Support Section, Water and Land Resources Division.