Water quality improvement through five constructed serial wetland cells and its implications on nonpoint-source pollution control

Abstract

Constructed wetlands can be used for reducing nonpoint-source pollution and providing ecological services in a watershed. This paper presents a field monitoring study on water quality improvement in constructed wetlands of five cells in series. The wetland system covers 59.9 ha, or 0.08% of the watershed area; it diverts 7.3 million m3 (hm3) water (or 4.3% annual flow) from a degraded river. The results showed that the hydraulic retention times (HRT) of the five cells ranged from 5 to 15 days, 18.4% inflow was lost to seepage and increased evapotranspiration (ET) in the wetlands; the wetlands retained 99.1% total suspended solids (TSS), 60.9% total phosphorus (TP), and 54.4% total nitrogen (TN) from the inflow. Major reductions of TSS and TP were observed in the first two large cells that occupied 57% of the total wetland area. The smaller cells did not show advantages over the bigger ones in pollutant retention as reported in some studies. Although significant water quality benefit can be achieved by the constructed wetlands, the increased water loss may be a concern, particularly in dry regions. EDITOR Z.W. Kundzewicz; ASSOCIATE EDITOR T. Okruszko