IMPORTANCE OF CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS TO TREAT WASTEWATER AS A PART OF WATER MANAGEMENT

Ali Berktay, Bilgehan Nas

Department of Environmental Engineering, Selcuk University

Abstract

Constructed wetlands (CWs) can be used as part of decentralized wastewater treatment systems and are a robust and “low tech” technology with low operational requirements. CWs can be used for the treatment of various types of wastewater, and play an important role in many ecological sanitation concepts. CWs are achieved using methods that are designed to utilize natural physical principles combined with biological activities of microorganisms. Microorganisms used in the treatment facility are generated from microbial populations that occur naturally in the wastewater itself. The main features of the CWs are; Simplicity, plants design and construction are very simple, Cost-effectiveness, plants require low building, labor and maintenance costs, Efficiency, natural wastewater treatment plants are generally rather efficient for the removal of most of the pollutants. The efficiency is highly dependent on climatic conditions: it is lower with low temperatures, Reliability; natural systems are very reliable even in extreme operating conditions. They can resist a wide variety of hydraulic and organic load. CWs is an artificial wetland, marsh or swamp created as a new or restored habitat for native and migratory wildlife, for anthropogenic discharge such as wastewater, storm water runoff, or sewage treatment, for land reclamation after mining, refineries, or other ecological disturbances such as required mitigation for natural wetlands lost to a development. Natural wetlands act as a biofilter, removing sediments and polluants such as heavy metals from the water, and constructed wetlands can be designed to emulate these features. For small communities in particular, the cost of treatment represents a higher percentage of the budged than historically allocated to water pollution control. Processes that use relatively more land and are lower in energy use and labor costs are therefore becoming attractive alternatives for these communities. In this study, the importance of natural sewage treatment methods are emphasized with the special attention to the constructed wetlands applied for small communities. Some examples of the constructed wetlands in terms of their construction and operation applied in Turkey will also be presented in this report.

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