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In the agricultural Midwest, subsurface drainage allows excess water to drain into agricultural channels, which flows into rivers and streams transporting excess nutrients downstream. The construction of an inset floodplain within agricultural channels enhances sedimentation of particulate nutrients and sediment, provides stable conditions for vegetation to establish, increases rates of microbial activity, and promotes denitrification. Sediments were collected from floodplains of two-stage channels and naturally forming floodplain benches in conventional channels to determine the effect of floodplain creation on carbon and nitrogen cycling. Denitrification rates were seasonally measured across the floodplain width using an unamended acetylene inhibition technique (DNFAIT). Composite respiration and denitrification rates were measured through sacrificial microcosms utilizing membrane inlet mass spectrometry (DNFMIMS). While the two-stage reach showed a significant increase in soil organic matter (two-way ANOVA, p < 0.001) and respiration rates (two-way ANOVA, p = 0.039), there was no effect on DNFMIMS rates (two-way ANOVA, p > 0.05). DNFAIT rates at the two-stage reach only showed an increase at locations closest to the channel (two-way ANOVA, p = 0.008). Nutrient processing rates were most dependent on local environmental conditions, particularly organic matter and sediment grain size. This suggests that site-specific conditions may dictate the impact of floodplain creation on water quality. However, because of the increase in biologically active surface area, the net effect on water quality is likely greater for the two-stage channels.

Negative effects on water quality are created by eutrophication of the world’s water resources. Mitigation measures have been implemented, but poor improvements in water quality have been observed. Two-stage ditches have the possibility to increase nutrient and sediment retention to reduce eutrophication in receiving water bodies. A two-stage ditch has floodplain terraces on each side of the ordinary main channel. The terraces are available for flooding during high water flows and enables decreases in flow velocities. However, more knowledge is needed about the two-stage ditch and its effect in Swedish landscapes. The aim of the project was to study the two-stage ditch design with focus on water retention. Optimization of the two-stage ditch design was made by modeling and simulating design parameters and vegetation in the software Hydrologic Engineering Center’s River Analysis System (HEC-RAS). An existing two-stage ditch in Sweden was used as base and comparison to the theoretical model. In addition, a climate change scenario was studied to evaluate the impact of increased storm events in a two-stage ditch. Results showed that increased retention time of water, nutrients, and sediments theoretically can be given by designing two-stage ditches with maximum terrace width and minimum terrace height, and with terraces angled away from the main channel. Vegetation should also be kept on both terraces and in the main channel of the two-stage ditch to increase retention time. The study also showed that the two-stage ditch design has the possibility to decrease peak water levels during storm events, which can be expected to increase in the future. The impact on transport of nutrients and sediments from more future extreme hydrological events needs further studies. / Negativa effekter i vattenkvalitet skapas av övergödning i världens vattenresurser. Åtgärder för att begränsa övergödningen har genomförts, men svaga förbättringar i vattenkvalitet har noterats. Tvåstegsdiken har möjligheten att öka retentionen av näringsämnen och sediment för att minska övergödning. Ett tvåstegsdike har terrasser på vardera sida om den vanliga mittfåran. Terrasserna är tillgängliga för översvämning vid höga vattenflöden, vilket möjliggör minskning av flödeshastigheter. Dock krävs mer kunskap för tvåstegsdiken och dess effekt i svenska landskap. Syftet med projektet var att studera designen av tvåstegsdiken med fokus på retention av vattenflöde. Optimering av tvåstegsdikens design genomfördes via modellering och simulering av designparametrar och vegetation i programvaran Hydrologic Engineering Center’s River Analysis System (HEC-RAS). Ett befintligt tvåstegsdike i Sverige användes som bas och jämförelse mot den teoretiska modellen. Ett scenario för klimatförändring studerades även för att utvärdera effekten i ett tvåstegsdike då fler stormevent sker. Resultaten visade att ökad retentionstid for vatten, näringsämnen, och sediment teoretiskt kan ges genom att designa tvåstegsdiken med maximal terrassbredd och minimal terrasshöjd, samt med terrasser vinklade bort från mittfåran. Vegetation bör även behållas på terrasser och i mittfåran av tvåstegsdiket för att öka retentionstiden. Studien visade även att tvåstegs- dikets design har möjligheten att minska toppflöden vid stormevent, vilka kan förväntas öka i framtiden. Påverkan på transport av näringsämnen och sediment från fler framtida extrema hydrologiska event kräver ytterligare studier.