Experimental Study on Wetland Hydraulic Characteristics of Vegetated Drainage Ditches

Small vegetated drainage ditches play an important role in water and nutrient removal, but may cause water blocking problems. The aim of this study was to investigate vegetated drainage ditches’ hydraulic and wetland hydraulic characters. Field experiment were carried out, small drainage ditches with Juncus, Zizania latifolia, and Acorus calamus were selected under different water flows, and a tracer experiment was also conducted. Research findings suggested that with increased water flow, vegetation roughness coefficient declined, vegetation resistance rose, and drag coefficient declined. Small drainage ditches with emergent vegetation showed a high roughness coefficient value, which was most significant in Juncus, followed by Zizania latifolia, and Acorus calamus. Plants each took on a unique eigenvalue k that was a relative coefficient between the drag coefficient and stem Reynolds number. As small ditches for drainage showed longer residence time and smaller surface hydraulic loading, they featured excellent wetland hydraulic characteristics that could be weakened rapidly as rainfall or flood intensified. This study indicates that the small vegetated drainage ditch shows favorable wetland hydraulic characteristics with good discharge capacity and can be extensively used in irrigated districts.