The Rural Voice, 2002-09, Page 56according to Dolmage. She went on
to say that a study by the vegetable
growers in the area has suggested that
the fields would be hest served by.
being flooded when they are not in
production and
left in that
condition until the
last possible
moment before
planting.
The property of
wetlands that has
received the most
attention.Iately is
its ability to filter
contaminated
water and absorb
excess nutrients
from manure.
They also help to
clean water by
filtering out
sediments found
in run-off.
Steele says that
a proper 10 -foot
buffer strip at the
edge of a field can
reduce the
nutrients in run-
off by as much as
10 per cent. He
goes on to point
out that the effect
is progressive and a 20 -foot buffer
tnight remove 50 per cent of the
excess nutrients.
Brad Glasman of the Upper
Thames Conservation Authority
agrees saying, "wetlands have proven
successful in improving water
quality." He states definitely
however, that he would never
advocate putting wastewater directly
into a natural wetland.
McMillan echoes that sentiment
cautioning that wetlands can be
overloaded. Excess volumes of water
can disrupt fragile organic soils
causing erosion: They would also
shorten the time the water is held in
such areas. This would prevent the
wetland vegetation from removing
the excess nutrients.
McMillan states: "In most cases
the natural cycle works well when
nutrients are released slowly in the
fall and winter."
The direct economic benefits to
the farmer from maintaining a
wetland appear to be minimal. If a
landowner's on-farm wetland can be
classified as "provincially
significant" it is possible to obtain
100 per cent tax relief on that land
according to McMillan but this is of
these areas regardless of whether they
are tile -drained or not. As the storm
waters rapidly enter the watercourse
from drains the possibility of
contaminated water entering creeks
and rivers increases
dramatically. With
this comes the
possibility of
increased liability if
the contaminated
runoff causes down-
stream problems.
Farmers are
increasingly looking
at whether the
` capital cost of
drainage works is
justified by the
return frdkn the land.
Increases in acreage
being drained places
pressure on the
drainage system,
which can lead to
increased costs
according to Steele.
Dolmage comm-
ented, "Every day as
I come to work I
drive by an area
where the wheat is
not growing the way
it is in the rest of the
field. You can tell it
was formerly a wetland."
Steele also suggested that land,
which has not been drained after this
length of time, is probably in its
natural state because it is not worth
the cost of drainage.
McMillan also pointed out an
interesting effect of removing
increased amounts of wetlands from
the landscape. He said that as the
beneficial effects of wetlands become
more widely known the government
is under increasing pressure to
regulate in the area.
"As fewer wetlands remain each
one will become more important," he
said. "Then each one will be treated
as provincially significant." If we
preserve and enhance the ones
remaining this may not be necessary
and regulatory agencies will be able
to be Tess restrictive and individual
landowners will have more room to
maneuver."
In a farm economy increasingly
hedged by restrictions and regulations
this might in the future become
Wetlands help clean water, helping to prevent excess farm nutrients from
reaching rivers and streams.
little benefit to the majority of
farmers.
The one area in which there is
some agreement on economic
benefits concerns treed wetlands, or
more properly swamps. Trees such as
soft maple, black ash and cedar
characterize these areas, which often
dry out during the summer. They can
be a valuable source of lumber,
firewood and fence posts.
Although upland hardwood forests
have more significant economic
returns if properly managed, swamp
areas also help pay their own way.
In a curious twist however, the
most significant economic benefits
from a wetland may be achieved by
the farmer based on what he does not
do. Dolmage, Steele and Glasman
and McMillan all relate conversations
with farmers whohave retired
marginal land that is tile -drained.
As McMillan points out wetlands
are usually low-lying areas that are
always going to be subject to
flooding. Storm water will pool in
52 THE RURAL VOICE