Combining constructed wetlands and aquatic and soil filters for reclamation and reuse of water

Reclamation and reuse of water and nutrients at their source provide the op portunity to use simple, less costly technologies and lessens potentials fo r catastrophic effects due to centralized treatment system failures. The co mbination of multiple treatment environments within constructed wetlands ca n provide water quality suitable for reuse. A current project in rural Chat ham County, NC, uses simple, aesthetically pleasing treatment components co nstructed both outdoors and indoors to reclaim domestic sewage for toilet f lushing, landscape irrigation and aesthetic water features. A courtyard con taining constructed wetlands and a solarium with modular soil filter compon ents and aquatic chambers are designed to treat sewage from within a small business facility and to provide recreational space for its 60 employees. T he combination of vertical flow and horizontal flow constructed wetlands wi th fill and draw controls provides the necessary environments for nitrifica tion-denitrification, removal of organic materials and phosphorus adsorptio n reactions. The system is designed to treat and reuse 4500 1 day(-1) (1200 gal day(-1)) of domestic sewage from the business. Some of the plants used are selectively bred or genetically engineered to maximize their water rec lamation potential. Utilization of simple treatment and reuse technology ha s permitted the business owner to renovate an abandoned and deteriorating s chool building into a home for two thriving and internationally based busin esses and to protect the water quality of a nearby reservoir. (C) 1999 Publ ished by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.