Channelization / Ditching / Filling

Habitats Affected:

Wetlands, water column, soft bottom

Common Sources:

Flood control, agriculture, urban and suburban development, forestry

Impacts:

• Reduction in wetland habitat.
• Loss of wetlands or conversion to uplands reduces system’s ability to filter pollutants and regulate water flows.
• Loss of riparian vegetation increases loading of non-point source pollutants.
• Filling and channelization reduces fish access to wetlands.
• Channelization increases erosion of stream banks and turbidity in the water.
• Waters adjacent to channelized streams and ditched wetlands support lower abundance and diversity of fish.

Go back to Threats to Coastal Fish Habitat (Overview Chart)…