From our experience, producers prefer plants that have forage value, which is also an incentive for the producer to harvest the vegetative treatment area (VTA) annually. Wetland plants such as cattails and bulrush could work well and are the recommended vegetation in the literature for constructed wetlands. We have used cattails in two constructed wetland projects with marginal success.
For level VTAs (or vegetative infiltration basins [VIBs]), grass species that are successful at surviving wet soils conditions are preferred. Iowa State University has used reeds canary grass in their VIB, and we have used creeping foxtail; both species are tolerant of wet soil conditions. Eastern gammagrass has been used successfully at a vegetative treatment system (VTS) in Kansas but is more difficult to establish. Every region is different, so what works here may not be as successful in another part of the country. In Nebraska, we are evaluating the use of some other lesser-known species, such as orchard grass, switchgrass (warm season), and timothy in one of our projects.
For additional information, see:
• Chapter 6 of the collaborative report on Vegetative Treatment Systems for Open Lot Runoff
• USDA Conservation Plants Pocket Guide
• USDA VegSpec Web site
VTA refers to permanently vegetated area used to infiltrate runoff from an open lot. VTS refers to the overall system, including the VTA and other treatment components such as a settling basin.
Author: Chris Henry, University of Nebraska
