CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS: FILTRATION QUALITY, EFFICIENCY, AND POTENTIAL

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service estimated in 2004 that there are more than 100 million acres of wetlands in the continental United States. Constructed wetlands built to filter treated sewage also become natural habitats, green spaces and wildlife refuges for communities. Wetland sewage reclamation facilities are extremely versatile, able to service a small community of ten or less homes or able to provide enough drinking water for a county with a population over 250,000 several systems of constructed wetlands. Constructed wetlands are much more efficient than the outdated land application method which requires 150 to 250 acres to treat one million gallons of water while the wetlands only require 15 to 25 acres to treat one million gallons of water. The ability to use, build and possible site locations for wetlands for the treatment of wastewater in a larger metropolis like Atlanta, Georgia was investigated. The surrounding counties in metro Atlanta, Georgia were also examined for possible wetland wastewater treatment facilities due the availability and price of land outside the City of Atlanta versus inside the city. With the drought in the southeast, particularly the state of Georgia recycling wastewater would be a great asset. More evidence that highlights the advantages of constructed wetlands was that Clayton County, Georgia's reservoir did not go below 77 percent at a time when other reservoirs in the metro Atlanta area fell below 50 percent during 2007-2008. As constructed wetlands become a more prominent treated sewage filtration system research must be done to improve filtration quality and efficiency. A small scale model was created designed using Constructed Wetlands Treatment of Municipal Wastewater manual by the Environmental Protection Agency. A freshwater design was used for testing multiple parameters affecting the filtration quality and efficiency. The variables tested include grain size, roundness, soil type, and plants. The different types of soils, plants, roundness of grains, and size of grains were based upon recommendations in the Environmental Protection Agency's constructed wetlands manual.