The Des Plaines River Wetlands Demonstration Project: Creating Wetlands Hydrology

The hydrology of a wetland—that unique relationship between water and land capable of producing benefits to contemporary, industrial society—can be recreated and even created from scratch in precisely those settings where wetland functions are most in demand. The continuous wetting and submergence of land surfaces, which occurs in riverine wetlands, cleanses and purifies the streamflow and provides habitat for a wide variety of flora and fauna.