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Wetlands Research
Demonstration Wetland Project - City of Henderson Water Reclamation Facility
Through a cooperative agreement between the Bureau of Reclamation, City of Henderson, and Southern Nevada Water Authority, the Las Vegas Wash Coordination Committee constructed the Demonstration Wetland at the City of Henderson Water Reclamation Facility in 2001. The primary goal of the ongoing project is to determine whether constructed wetlands can be used to improve the water quality of treated wastewater in Southern Nevada, which can have elevated concentrations of nutrients and bacteria. Additional goals include identifying wetland plants that can thrive in our sometimes harsh conditions (fluctuating water levels, extreme summer heat) and offering habitat for birds.
The wetland is located in an approximately six-acre pond and contains three unvegetated loafing islands and 11 submerged islands that are planted with bulrush. This design, which leaves approximately 80% of the surface area devoted to open water, encourages water quality improvements while also providing mosquito control. Treated wastewater flows enter the pond from the west and flow east, perpendicular to the hummocks.
Several plantings were needed to establish vegetation within the wetland. Out of 20 different species of native wetland plant, only three ultimately survived and have since thrived: California bulrush (S. californicus), hardstem bulrush (S. acutus), and Olney bulrush (S. americanus), answering the question of which species are best suited for our environmental conditions.
Once the vegetation filled in, scientists initiated a variety of studies within the pond to quantify the impact the wetland has on water quality. Hydrologists collect extensive water quality data on a monthly to bimonthly basis, monitoring water chemistry at the inflow, outflow, and select sites within the wetland. Biologists conduct bird surveys on a regular basis to help quantify the habitat value of the wetland and to determine whether bird use might be negatively impacting the wetland’s nutrient and bacteria removal efficiency. They also monitor the vegetation in the spring and fall, assessing plant growth and cover and analyzing tissue samples for nutrients and select contaminants of concern.
This research has yielded a large amount of data over the years. Water quality monitoring has shown that the average concentration of most metals, nitrogen, total phosphorus, totals suspended solids, and bacteria decrease between the inlet and the outlet. Conversely, increases in some metals and fluctuations in orthophosphorus have been observed. Biologists have identified more than 100 bird species using the wetland, including 15 that nest on the site, and an average of more than 300 birds are found in the wetland during each survey. Finally, through vegetation monitoring we have learned that of the three surviving plant species, California bulrush accounts for approximately 50 percent of the vegetative cover on the pond, while hardstem and Olney bulrush each represent about 25 percent.
To learn more about this project, read the 
Demonstration Wetlands Study (2.2 MB) summarizing the first two years of data collection.
Visit the Demonstration Wetlands Project
The City of Henderson operates the ponds at the Water Reclamation Facility as the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, a park that is open to the public. If you would like to visit the demonstration wetlands, take a trip to the preserve and ask the visitor center staff for directions to pond 9 (the demonstration wetlands project pond).