CONSTRUCTED WETLAND DESIGN - THE 1ST GENERATION

A recent study for the U.S. EPA documented more than 150 constructed wetland systems in the United States, treating municipal and industrial wastewaters. During 1990 and 1991, visits were made to more than twenty of these sites for observations and discussions with the designers and operators. This first generation of systems demonstrates a lack of consensus on design procedures, and in many cases little regard for some of the critical factors affecting performance. This paper summarizes the results of the inventory and site visits and provides suggestions for design of the second generation of these systems.