| dc.description.abstract | The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) is
proposing Canada-wide municipal wastewater effluent regulations. This
would put pressure on small communities to install wastewater
collection systems and treatment facilities. Artificially constructed
wetlands are cost-effective wastewater treatment systems that achieve
secondary effluent standards in warmer climates.
This study was conducted to assess the phosphorus and nitrogen
removal of a constructed wetland during a typical Nova Scotian winter,
compare the observed treatment ability to the proposed regulations,
and estimate the cost-savings treatment wetlands could provide to the
local community. The wetland system is located in Bible Hill and consists
of a pond-marsh-pond system. The samples collected from the inlet and
outlet of the system between October 2007 and February 2008
demonstrate an average phosphorus removal of 47.6% and an average
nitrogen removal of 30.8%. The effluent concentrations were within the
proposed regulatory limits for the parameters observed, however the
CCME has proposed limits for numerous substances of concern that were
not studied. The estimated cost for treatment wetlands for the village of
Bible Hill over a 25-year period was $7.8 million, resulting in $6.3 million
in savings over conventional facilities.
These results provide insight into the range of nutrient removal
efficiencies that can be expected from surface-flow wetland systems in
Nova Scotia. The regulatory review shows that more research on the
fate and transport of emerging contaminants of concern is needed to
better understand the feasibility of installing treatment wetland
systems. | en_US |
