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Wastewater Gardens®
A beautiful and natural wastewater
recycling system
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What is the difference between Wastewater Garden and other types of constructed wetland?
Features distinguishing Wastewater Garden from commonly used constructed wetland are: special construction and filling of the cell, special construction of inlet and outlet pipe system, diverse plant composition adopted to local conditions and users' preferences.
Apart from high esthetic value, plant diversity may benefit wastewater treatment by providing:
- greater variety of root systems, allowing for greater penetration of the gravel and supporting a wider range of associated microorganisms;
- differing metabolic needs (e.g. nutrient uptake) may lead to greater capacity for absorbing wastewater constituents;
- differing seasonal cycles of activity which may increase plant productivity year-round;
- greater ability to utilize the full spectrum of incident solar radiation by the inclusion of shade-tolerant as well as top canopy species;
- differing "specialist" capabilities (e.g. C3 and C4 photosynthetic pathways, or quantity of aerenchyma tissue in saturated conditions) allowing for greater system response to changing environmental conditions such as light, heat, and nutrient levels;
- greater resistance to external factors such as: diseases, pests, climatic conditions, etc.;
- habitat for other organisms such as butterflies, birds, etc.
Figure 1 presents comparison of removal efficiency of Wastewater Garden subsurface flow systems with average North American surface and subsurface flow wetlands.
Reed subsurface wastewater treatment plant,
St. Marienthal, Germany.
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Wastewater Garden for Cape Eleuthera
Island School, Bali.
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