When you refer to clogging, are you talking about detritus buildup, or root growth plugging water flow?
If it's detritus buildup and "channelling", then that is something that happens in natural streams, but water movement will eventually re-route the pathway via erosion.
I am not a fan of pre-filtration into a "bog"
Unfortunately, there is not a simple explanation to any aspect of an ecosystem, be it terrestrial or aquatic.
In this instance I am referring to detritus buildup. Root growth (a plant’s rhizosphere) may retard water flow but it will not block it. Detritus buildup on and within the rhizosphere can and will block this same flow.
A natural stream or river is not really a valid comparison to an upflow wetlands (bog).
There are major differences.
-A stream/river is horizontal flow, a ‘bog’ is vertical.
-A stream/river will have fluctuating water levels and flow depending on seasonal precipitation. A ‘bog’ has a constant water level and flow rate.
-A stream/river has the ability to overflow its banks at multiple points perpendicular to its flow during periods of flooding or if the flow is obstructed. A ‘bog’ can only overflow at the surface or outflow terminus.
-The erosion peculiar to a stream/river is primarily soil, which over time is what causes a stream/river to meander. Any erosion in a ‘bog’ will be on the gravel substrate and would be negligible. Organic substances decay, they do not truthfully erode.
-The organic diversity is completely different in a river/stream than in a ‘bog’. A river/stream provides the habitat to support those organisms known as “shredders” and “grinders” that provide the initial breakdown of organic litter. A ‘bog’ provides no such habitats and consequently does not support these organisms. Organic decay will require additional time in a 'bog'.
An upflow wetlands (‘bog”) can more closely be compared to an upflow biofilter. The major difference is size. In fact, an upflow wetlands (‘bog’) is in reality nothing more than a large upflow biofilter.
And just as the typical pond biofilter usually is plumbed in tandem to some form and level of mechanical filtration in order to insure a more efficient bioconversion, so should a ‘bog’.
