Naturalization of drainage channels in Lithuania and possibilities of their maintenance as water recipients

Abstract

In the process of high expansion of drainage systems and land cultivation, most natural watercourses in Lithuania were converted into drainage channels. They were deprived of all natural riparian vegetation and abiotic conditions that kept up biodiversity, diminished erosion and deflation, induced self-purification of water etc. Thus the re-naturalization of drainage channels is essential. Consequently, to determine the possibilities to combine re-naturalization processes in channels with their function-ability it was examined the tendencies of woody vegetation (WV) spreading and the hydraulic calculation formulas estimating the performance of overgrown channels as water recipients were suggested.As the study results showed, self-restoration of WV was most progressive in forest and outskirt channels. In the field channels WV expansion takes place as well.