The Ramsar Convention's resources on Wetland Restoration

The STRP Expert Working Group on Wetland Restoration

Restoration Approach: Groundwater Removal

Wetland type: Any wetland fed by groundwater, including seepage slopes, depressional wetlands that intercept groundwater tables, karst wetlands, and others.

Background: Some wetlands intersect groundwater tables or are fed by groundwater through seepage or springs. Industrial spills, landfills, or salinization can contaminate groundwater, and contaminated groundwater can degrade wetlands. For example, the wetland in Brazil, an interdunal wetland fed by ground water seepage from surrounding dunes, was contaminated by industrial spills from a titanium processing plant, and Toolibin Lake in Western Australia was contaminated by saline groundwater when trees were cleared and naturally occurring saline water tables rose to the level of the wetland. In both cases, pumps were used to lower groundwater levels around the wetland.

Advantages: Pumping groundwater creates what is sometimes called a "cone of depression" around wetlands, alleviating impacts from contaminated groundwater.

Disadvantages: Groundwater pumping can be expensive. Determination of the direction of groundwater flow and the volume of water that must be removed requires data from groundwater monitoring wells, which can add to expenses. Pumped ground water must be treated or disposed of offsite, which can add further expenses. If a wetland's water budget is driven by groundwater input, creating a cone of depression around the wetland will drain the wetland.

Further information: da Silva, E.M., A.F. Barros, M.F.T. Navarro, M.F.V. Mota, P. Cotsifis, and C.B.A. Chastinet. 1999. Rehabilitation following industrial contamination: Jauá Lake, a coastal wetland in Camaçari, Bahia, Brazil. Pp. 197-203 In W.J. Streever (ed.) An International Perspective on Wetland Rehabilitation. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.

Froend, R.H., S.A. Halse, and A.W. Storey. 1997. Planning for the recovery of Lake Toolibin, Western Australia. Wetlands Ecology and Management 5: 73-85.

Aerial view of the Jauá Lake wetland.

Diagram of the rehabilitation measures, including sealing of the contaminated dune to isolate contamination and groundwater pumping to remove contaminated water.

Return to STRP Wetland Restoration index page

For further information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ). Posted 8 January 2001, updated 15 February 2002, Bill Streever and Dwight Peck.