HYDRAULICS, WATER QUALITY AND VEGETATION CHARACTERISTICS OF GROUNDWATER-FED OPEN DITCHES

A novel peatland management strategy to utilise the high nutrient-retention potential of degenerated peatlands has been implemented in Northern Germany. The effect of raised water levels and extensive land-use management on hydraulic properties, water quality and vegetation characteristics of heavily vegetated and groundwater-fed open ditches, was investigated at the River Elder Valley - a nationally important wetland case study. A better understanding of the effect of vegetation on the temporal flow patterns and the hydraulic retention times is of high scientific interest, especially for improving nutrient standards in lowland rivers. Within-ditch vegetation and other hydraulic obstructions, including accumulated silt and organic debris, increase the hydraulic retention time and lead to an improvement of the water quality along the open ditch. Lower parts of the open ditches were flooded by the River Elder, due to the absence of a mowing scheme during late summer