Constructed Wetlands

Dhawal Patil1
Department of Civil Engineering
College of Engineering Pune

1. Introduction:

From ancient times we have seen that establishment and rise of civilizations took place near water
bodies. Only those kingdoms flourished which were along the river basins. So rivers are the most
important as far as human survival is concerned. But on contrast today the scenario is very different.
Rivers are merely treated as conduits to sewage waste which is created every day in big cities.
The main objective is to find an alternate but efficient solution for treating waste water and storm water
runoff. Water Quality Wetlands are a key treatment measure for nitrogen reduction and also help to
manage other important water quality issues such as phosphorus, suspended sediments and other
toxicants. The aim of the storm and sewage water quality treatment is to reduce pollutants loads from
the urban areas.

2. Problem Definition:
Figure 1: Schematic Representation of Constructed Wetland

India desperately needs strategies to manage its human waste. Out of 22,900 MLD of waste-
water generated in the country, only about 5,900 MLD (about 26%) is treated before disposal.
According to a survey by BORDA, a NGO, out of the 3,119 big and small cities in India, only 217
(about 7%) have centralized STP. A closer analysis reveals that 73% of the STPs operate below their
design capacity with 7% of them being defunct. All this untreated waste is dumped into the rivers due
to which water pollution has increased to such an extent that, the pats of rivers (Yamuna) flowing
through cities have been declared “Dead”. Moreover in many cities the storm water drains are directly
let into the rivers which may lead to critical situation.

3. Solution:

Constructed wetland mainly consists of four zones viz. pre treatment zone, inlet zone, ephemeral
zone, and wetland zone. Pre treatment zone consist of a litter trap. Litter trap is an assembly capable
of trapping all the litter flowing through the water. The inlet zone more or less works as a
sedimentation pond and energy dissipation zone. The ephemeral zone has a leaf trap, an assembly
which can trap all organic matter and leafs, thus refrain them from reaching the wetland zone. The
wetland zone consists of a horizontal flow reed bed system which provides substrate to the wetland
plants to grow as well as it acts a filter medium.

3.1 Pre-Treatment (gross pollutant retention):

1-Corresponding Author

To minimize the onerous task of removing litter from vegetation throughout the wetland, a litter
trapping capability is required upstream of the wetland. The intention of the litter trap is to remove
litter and organic matter from inflows to allow simple collection by maintenance crews. This can either
be achieved through installation of specially designed litter traps where flows permit, or by designing
the inlet zone to be capable of trapping. It should be noted that if flows are too high to allow the
incorporation of litter trap, then a strategy to remove litter closer to the source via distributed
treatments in the upstream drainage system will be required.
Where a litter trap is required, it should be capable of retaining litter items of a size greater than 20mm
for all flows up to a flow rate of 1 in 3 months ARI. Tighter restrictions with respect to size of capture
and design flows to be treated, may apply where the receiving waterway or water body is of high
environmental or recreational value. Treatments requiring removal of 5mm for a 1 in 6 month ARI may
be applicable in these cases.
3.2 Inlet Zone (energy dissipation and sedimentation):
Coarse sediment or excessive velocities can damage the biofilms and either smother or
dislodge sensitive wetland vegetation. Removal of coarse sediment can be achieved by either:

• Installing a sediment trap as part of the pre-treatment, or

• Using the inlet zone pond as a coarse sediment trap (in addition to its energy dissipation
role).
Regardless of which method is used, 95% all suspended sediment down to a particle size of 125 µm
shall be removed for peak design flows. Treatment of a 1 in 1 year ARI event is required when the inlet
zone is part of the constructed wetland system.
Where the sediment trapping occurs in the catchment and a “natural stream system” is used to
convey the waters to a downstream wetland, a 1 in 2 year ARI event shall be adopted as the design
flow (i.e. tighter restrictions are required to protect the natural stream reach from sedimentation).
An ability to retain collected sediment for a period of up to 5 years between maintenance is a
minimum requirement. The sediment trap other than a pond should capable of achieving the above
performance criteria.
3.3 Ephemeral Zone (leaf/organic matter trap):
An ephemeral marsh leaf trap is used to trap leaf and other organic material prior to entering the
wetland zone where the litter trap or GPT cannot meet the design flow. The ephemeral zone reduces the
likelihood of the anaerobic decomposition of such material in the wetland.
1. The ephemeral zone should be notionally graded from the outer edges towards the low flow channel
and from upstream to downstream.
2. The shallow rock lined (75mm) base flow channel shall be zigzagged through the area with ability
for event flows to side caste to the adjacent areas which will be planted with ephemeral marsh plants.
3. The design shall incorporate a number of raised mounds which are approximately 45 to the 0

oncoming flows.
4. Ephemeral marsh plantings shall be arranged in the offline cells to form a herringbone pattern.
5. A porous rock wall (250 mm) shall be provided across the downstream end of ephemeral marsh cell
to facilitate flow attenuation and pooling in event situations.
6. The mounds shall be top soiled and planted with appropriate ephemeral marsh species.
7. Given the susceptibility of erosion of the mounds in the construction stages it is preferable that they
are formed by removing material from around the mounds rather than stripping the entire area and then
building the mounds.
3.4 Wetland Zone (fine particulate and dissolved contaminant retention):
A constructed wetland or wetpark is an artificial marsh or swamp, created for anthropogenic
discharge such as wastewater, storm water runoff or sewage treatment, and as habitat for wildlife, or
for land reclamation after mining or other disturbance. Natural wetlands act as biofilters, removing
sediments and pollutants such as heavy metals from the water.

3.4.1 Operation:
Vegetation in a wetland provides a substrate (roots, stems, and leaves) upon which microorganisms can
grow as they break down organic materials. This community of microorganisms is known as the
periphyton. The periphyton and natural chemical processes are responsible for approximately 90
percent of pollutant removal and waste breakdown. The plants remove about seven to ten percent of
pollutants, and act as a carbon source for the microbes when they decay. Different species of aquatic
plants have different rates of heavy metal uptake, a consideration for plant selection in a constructed
wetland used for water treatment.
Physical, chemical, and biological processes combine in wetlands to remove contaminants
from wastewater. An understanding of these processes is fundamental not only to designing wetland
systems but to understanding the fate of chemicals once they have entered the wetland. Theoretically,
treatment of wastewater within a constructed wetland occurs as it passes through the wetland medium
and the plant rhizosphere. A thin aerobic film around each root hair is aerobic due to the leakage of
oxygen from the rhizomes, roots, and rootlets. Decomposition of organic matter is facilitated by
aerobic and anaerobic micro-organisms present. Microbial nitrification and subsequent denitrification
releases nitrogen as gas to the atmosphere. Phosphorus is coprecipitated with iron, aluminum, and
calcium compounds located in the root-bed medium. Suspended solids are filtered out as they settle in
the water column in surface flow wetlands or are physically filtered out by the medium within
subsurface flow wetland cells. Harmful bacteria and viruses are reduced by filtration and adsorption by
biofilms on the rock media in subsurface flow and vertical flow systems.
3.4.2 Rootzone Treatment System (decentralized):
 The Rootzone Treatment System (RZTS) is an important element for decentralization of
wastewater treatment and water recycling. RZTS consists of sealed filter beds comprising of sand,
gravel, soil system occasionally with a cohesive element, planted with vegetation which can grow in
wetlands. After removal of coarse and floating material, the wastewater passes through the filter bed
where biodegradation of the wastewater takes place.
How a reed bed mechanism works?
The treatment processes are based essentially on the activity of microorganisms present in the
soil. Smaller the grain size of the filter material and consequently larger the internal surface of the filter
bed higher would be the content of microorganisms. Therefore the efficiency should be higher with
finer bed material. This process is however limited by the hydraulic properties of the filter bed; finer
the bed material, lower the hydraulic load and higher the clogging tendency. The optimization of the
finer material in terms of hydraulic load and biodegradation intensity is therefore the most important
factor in designing RZTS. The reed bed system is divided into two categories based on the arrangement
of the filtering materials like vertical filtering system or horizontal filtering system.

Horizontal Flow Reed Beds (tertiary but sometimes secondary):

Expected
Pollutants Removal Comments
Litter >90% Subject to
appropriate
hydrologic control.
Total 65-95% Depends upon
Suspended particle size
Solids distribution.
Total Nitrogen 40-80% Depends upon
speciation and
retention time.
Total 60-85% Depends upon
Phosphorus speciation and
particle size
distribution.
Coarse >95% Subject to
Sediments appropriate
hydrologic control.
Heavy Metals 55-95% Quite variable;
depends upon
particle size
distribution,
retention time etc.
There are two main types, subsurface flow and overland flow. The subsurface flow type is
often used, in which sewage flows horizontally through the gravels. The arrangement is like a tub bath,
filled with gravels and planted with aquatic plants. As one pours water from one end of the tub bath,
water overflows at the far end. A depth of some 30-60 cm is maintained in the bed, unlike vertical flow
beds which are free draining. This means less oxygen is available for aerobic treatment. The lower
levels of oxygen create ideal condition for nitrogen removal from treated effluents. Whilst such reed
beds are occasionally used for secondary treatment of sewage, the presence of high levels of organic
matter, the low levels of oxygen make horizontal flow reed beds better suited for tertiary treatment. In
this situation they do an excellent job removing fine particles of organic matter that are too small to be
removed in settlement tank. Adequate settlement before the horizontal flow bed will extend the bed’s
life.
4. Results and discussions:
The expected results by constructed wetlands are as follows:

.Following are some of the advantages of constructed wetlands:

• Robust and effective treatment
• Low maintenance requirements and operational costs
• Low or no energy requirements
• Inexpensive compared to conventional systems
• Provide aesthetic, commercial and habitat value
• High design flexibility
• Offer sustainable solutions
• Can be used to replenish groundwater levels and also for floriculture and aquaculture.
5. Practical Applications:
Constructed Wetlands along the river banks:
Constructed wetlands can be built along the river bank and the water coming from the storm
water drains as well as that coming from part of cities can be let off into these wetlands where it will be
treated. Initially some retention has to be given to the first batch of water but as eventually when the
wetland gets fully established, continuous output of treated water can be obtained. This treated water
can then be let out into the river. This will not only help to treat the water more efficiently but also help
to avoid soil erosion along the banks on a large scale. These wetlands will also increase the aesthetic
value of the place.
Constructed Wetlands as ponds in towns and villages:
Constructed wetlands can be established centrally in small colonies, towns and villages. All
the sewage water and grey water can be collected into this wetland by the drainage system. The water
thus treated can be collected into a pond and can be used for groundwater recharge. Thus water
harvesting can be done on a large scale and this could be beneficial for irrigation purposes as shown in
figure 2.
Figure 2: Schematic Representation of Water Harvesting using Constructed Wetlands

Constructed Wetlands for Aquaculture and Floriculture:

Plants grown in wetlands are flower bearing plants and those flowers can be cultivated to
promote floriculture. This will help to provide a source of income for economical weak villagers. The
treated water can be transferred into a different pond or tanks where it can be used for fish culture. Rare
species of fishes and those having high demand in market can be cultivated there. The monetary gains
from these two occupations can be used for maintenance of the wetland thus making it a self
sustainable technique to treat water.
 6. Conclusion:

It can be seen that if waste water and storm water be treated using this technique and then let
out into the river, much of the water (river) pollution can be stopped. This technique is not only as
efficient as our conventional sewage treatment plants but also very less maintenance and zero treating
cost make it more beneficial. Thus it can be concluded that the constructed wetland can assist the
conventional STP’s in treating water. The integration of requirements for Water Sensitive Urban
Design [WSUD] techniques, including wetlands, must occur at the outset of site planning for a
development in order to achieve the maximum water quality improvement, biodiversity habitats and
passive recreational needs of the local community.
7. References:
1. Melbourne Water (2005). Constructed Wetland Systems -Design Guidelines for Developers.
Melbourne,Victoria.
http://www.melbournewater.com.au/content/library/wsud/melbourne_water_wetland_design_guide.pdf

2. The Institution of Engineers Australia (2005).

Australian Runoff Quality. The Institution of Engineers Australia.

3. Wong, T.H.F., Breen, P.F. Somes, N.L.G. and Lloyd, S.D. (1998).

Managing Urban Stormwater using Constructed Wetlands, Industry Report 98/7, Cooperative Research Centre for
Catchment Hydrology, November 1998

4. Lawrence, I. & Breen, P.F. (1998) Design Guidelines: Stormwater Pollution Control Ponds and
Wetlands, Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology Report.