| Since the mid-1700s Chenango County, NY has had over 40% of its wetlands drained for various agricultural land uses. This has resulted in the reduction or entire loss of their habitat functional capacity. However, under the United States Department of Agriculture's Wetland Reserve Program "restored wetlands" are being constructed to reestablish and/or enhance the wetland waterfowl habitat of these degraded wetlands. Also, the Chenango County segment of the Chenango River, a tributary of the Susquehanna, has been identified as a major transporter of locally generated dairy farm animal feeding operation nitrogen polluted runoff. This nitrogen polluted runoff is adversely affecting the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay by accelerating the eutrophication process creating dead zones devoid of oxygen. Under the United States Department of Agriculture's Environmental Quality Incentive Program agricultural animal waste polluted runoff is being treated by "constructed wetlands" that replicate the intrinsic wetland denitrification component of the nitrogen cycle, which biotransforms dissolved nitrate into nitrogen gas, which is harmlessly released into the atmosphere. Given that Chenango County has numerous drained/degraded wetlands and constructed wetlands have been successfully implemented for over twenty years, a logical alternative is to utilize restored drained wetlands as "treatment wetlands".;Consequently, the overall objective of the research was to evaluate the three key factors of science, application, and policy associated with the implementation of a "restored wetland -- treatment" best management practice, and to what extent each factor's variables either "drove or restrained" the adoption of this technology. Science---how much nitrogen is reduced and what variables influence it? Application---how many suitable wetlands and where are they? Policy---what are the risks and benefits, and who supports? The science section was a case study of the restored Long Acres Wetland located in South Edmeston, NY. The wetland was evaluated by comparing both actual and modeled pre- and post-restoration nitrogen removal rates. Concurrently investigated was the relationship between nitrogen removal and flooded vegetative area, surface flow dispersion, pH, temperature, and retention time. The application section was a suitability analysis of potential restoration sites. All Chenango County hydric soil polygons, within 305 meters of an animal feeding operation, were selected and rated/ranked according to retention time, flooded vegetative area, land use, relative elevation, and herd size. The policy section was a survey of Chenango County wetland stakeholders. Farm and nonfarm organizations were queried to ascertain their views on this unique use of drained wetlands.;The research findings were: (1) the restored Long Acres Wetland significantly reduced nitrogen but non-uniform spatial dispersion of the pollutant limits removal efficiency, (2) restorable degraded wetlands are readily available but local farming trends will dictate future targeted areas, and (3) stakeholders supported the use of restored wetlands to treat polluted runoff but the reasons were different for farm and nonfarm groups. Thus, drained wetlands are a valuable natural resource that can be restored according to constructed wetland technology, they exist in sufficient numbers to make a significant impact on improving water quality, and their implementation is supported by both farm and nonfarm wetland stakeholders.;Key Words. treatment wetlands, biotransformation functional capacity, nitrogen removal, water quality, animal waste treatment, confined animal feeding operation. |
