08-21-2002 Committee Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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• 10 Port of Houston Authority Wetland Mitigation Plan Vegetation Planted vegetation within the created wetland project area will consist of hydrophytic emergent species. Species to be planted are listed Levees, and all disturbed areas outside the marsh footprint will be planted with a quick cover plant such as ryegrass (Lolium L. sp.), but will be allowed to re -vegetate with native and introduced plant species from the seed bank. Sprigging of native vegetation 3-4 ) will also be conducted to enhance prairie restoration efforts. Plants to be controlled (undesirable plants) within the created wetland include Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum), Cattail (Typha spp.), and Pink ammania (Ammania latifolia). Chinese tallow is considered an intolerable species and will be controlled within the created wetland throughout the construction () and monitoring phases 3'1 ) of the project. Cattail and Pink ammania will be controlled only during the first growing season, or until the planted species and other desirable species have sufficiently established themselves to effectively compete. Other invasive volunteer plants that appear in the wetland that threaten adequate coverage by planted and other desirable species will be controlled appropriately. Numerous other locally occurring desirable species may potentially appear as volunteer invasives and will be allowed to become established along with planted species. This will increase the plant species diversity in the wetland and, hence, increase the ecological value of the system. Hydrology The proposed wetland creation project will capitalize on the natural tendency of the Beaumont Soils to develop hydric characteristics by impounding runoff, creating shallow planting zones suitable for the development and maintenance of hydrophytic plant communities. The existing hydrology will be modified by constructing levees to channel and hold runoff. In order to increase the habitat diversity and provide for greater water storage capacity, designated areas within the wetland will be excavated so that deeper, more permanently flooded areas occur. This will increase the likelihood that those portions of the wetland will remain flooded during normal weather conditions and longer during prolonged periods of drought. Benchmark Ecological Services, Inc. June 2002 s�� 33 0-� SH