Channel Restoration in Peat Channels

For more than 100 years stream and wetland corridors have been significantly modified throughout the Midwest, first for agricultural purposes, then for urban development. Historic wetland swales have been drained and ditched, creating streams where no historic stream existed. Government initiatives and changing aesthetics and priorities have spawned a desire to recreate a more natural system that takes into account the stream's geomorphic history and biological, water quality and sediment transport functions in addition to the stormwater and floodplain management roles. Restoring multiple stream functions by the meandering of straighten channels in peat soils has been attempted in Denmark, however not many examples of successful projects exist. A recent project on Eakin Creek in Huntley, Illinois included construction of a meandering channel in a previously straightened ditch section in peat soils. Additionally riffles are being constructed to raise water levels in the stream to assist in hydrating adjacent wetland mitigation areas and reconnect the stream with the adjacent riparian corridor.