As found in many rural areas of southern Ontario, wetlands, especially swamps, have been drained and used for agriculture. The restoration project site described in this paper was tile-drained and cleared for a period of seven years. Natural drainage characteristics of the site were severely disturbed during this period.
The approach taken to restoring swampland characteristics relied primarily on restoring the natural ebb and flow of drainage through the site. This necessitated an understanding of seasonal precipitation as well as the hydroperiod characteristics of other local swamps. Drainage from the site was monitored along with a wide variety of water quality parameters over a period of 12 months during 1992-93. This paper describes the drainage characteristics of this pilot project as well as general water quality and the value of follow-up monitoring with similar projects.