Treatment Wetland - General Application

General Application

The three types, using reed beds (constructed wetlands but using principally reed plants), are used. All these systems are used commercially, usually together with septic tanks as primary treatment, Imhoff tanks or screeners in order to separate the solids from the liquid effluent). Some designs however are being used to act as primary treatment as well. Another way is the combination constructed wetland–composting toilet.

System types are:

• Surface flow (SF) Constructed Wetland (or reed bed)
• Subsurface Flow (SSF) Constructed Wetland (or reed bed)
• Vertical Flow (VF) Constructed Wetland (or reed bed)

All three types are placed in a basin with a substrate. For most undertakings the bottom is lined with either a polymer geomembrane, concrete or clay (when there is appropriate clay type) in order to protect the water table and surrounding grounds. The substrate can be either gravel—generally limestone or pumice/volcanic rock, depending on local availability, sand or a mixture of various sizes of media (for vertical flow constructed wetlands).