| Benchmark
Sedimentation Survey of Buttonland Swamp |
| Principal
Investigator: R. Allgire |
| Field
and Data Processing: R. Allgire and R. Cahill (Illinois State Geological Survey) |
| Funded
by Illinois Department
of Natural Resources from 1993 (ongoing) |
| ABSTRACT:
The Cache River located in the southernmost part of Illinois flows through an area containing the Cache River Wetlands. Drainage activities divided the Cache River in half in the early 1900s, effectively separating the river into the Upper and Lower Cache Rivers. The Lower Cache River contains a remnant of a vast wetland system called the Lower Cache River State Natural Area (LCRSNA). Previous research has determined that 217,000 tons of sediment were deposited in the swamp between 1986 and 1988. A program to monitor the sediment deposition rate within the wetland area at regular intervals would be useful in evaluating and guiding preservation and restoration efforts. This project established a benchmark measure of the deposition rates and cross-sectional profiles at selected locations in the LCRSNA wetland. |
| Recent
Publication: Allgire, R. and R.A. Cahill. 2001. Benchmark Sedimentation Survey of the Lower Cache River Wetlands. Illinois State Water Survey Contract Report 2001-17. |
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| Benchmark Sedimentation
Survey Of The Lower Cache River Wetlands |
| Principal
Investigator: R. Allgire |
| Field
and Data Processing: R. Allgire and R. Cahill (Illinois State Geological Survey) |
| Funded
by Illinois Department
of Natural Resources from 1999 (ongoing) |
| ABSTRACT:
The Lower Cache River is currently an area of preservation and restoration focus for several state and federal agencies. Sedimentation and hydrologic modifications are the main stresses on this bottomland swamp system. Average annual sediment loads measured for Big and Cypress Creeks from 1986 to 1988 were approximately 40,000 and 19,000 tons, respectively. During this period, the Lower Cache River swamp had an average trap efficiency of 77 percent. It is hypothesized that delivery of large quantities of sediment to the swamp will continue. Thus, a monitoring plan to quantify and monitor the sedimentation rate within the Lower Cache River swamp would be a useful tool in the evaluation of restoration and preservation work being done by the participating agencies. |
| Recent
Publication: Allgire, R. and R.A. Cahill. 2001. Benchmark Sedimentation Survey of the Lower Cache River Wetlands. Illinois State Water Survey Contract Report 2001-17. |
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