By: Ryan Klosowski
Outline of Points
 Background of Wetlands
 Why Wetlands are needed/Problems
 How Wetlands are solutions?
 Case Study Showing Wetlands as a Solution
 Conclusions
 My conclusion
Objective.
 The purpose of this presentation is to explain what a
wetland is and to show how wetlands could be used as
water treatment systems for nutrients and toxins.
What is a Wetland?
 “An area where water is present at or near surface for a
whole year or different times during the growing
season” (US EPA)
 Hydric soils
 Hydrophitic
vegetation
http://www.al.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/ph
oto/wet/veg/wetlands3.jpg
Types of Wetlands
 Marshes- soft-stemmed plants
 Swamps-woody plants
 Bogs-freshwater/ often glacial lakes/sponge peat
deposits/ moss and evergreens
 Fens-freshwater, grasses, shrubs, wildflowers
http://www.maine.gov/dep/blw
q/wetlands/inland.htm
http://
water.e
pa.gov/
type/we
tlands/i
mages/
bogvl.jp
g
http://www.cedarcreek.umn.edu/habitats/i
mages/midsize/alderslab.jpg
http://w
ww.co.ke
ndall.il.u
s/forest_
preserve/
images/sf
3.jpg
Number of Wetlands
 6% of the earth’s land surface (Wetlands
International)
 .01% of all water (Wetlands International)
http://geochange.er.us
gs.gov/sw/impacts/hy
drology/wetlands/wet
_usa2.jpeg
http://www.wetlands.org/Portals/0/wetland%20invento
ry/wetlands_map2.jpg
Why Wetlands Are
Needed/Problems
 Runoff from agricultural fields, sewer sludge causing
algal blooms, and leading to problems down stream
 Pesticides and chemicals into water causing sickness
and disease/contamination
 Leaching from landfills into groundwater
 Loss of Wetlands leading to more run off
How Wetlands Are Solutions?
 Aquatic plants in wetlands and some microbes can
take up the nitrogen and excess nutrients from run off
 Sediment that contains some of the heavy metals can
settle out towards the bottom of the wetland out of the
water.
 Volitization can occur causing dissolved solid toxins to
be turned into gases which leave the system
 Decomposition by some microbes
Case Study
 Tawain/Kaoping River
 Wetland constructed in
2004
 Non-point pollution
from sewage plant,
agricultural fields, and
industrial wastes into the
river.
 Make more green areas,
protect biodiversity
http://cgcanal.cca.gov.tw/eng/images/dalian
-a-1_clip_image014.jpg
Kaoping River
3,625 km.
http://eem.pcc.gov.tw/eemadm/files/images
/Experiimage002234.img_assist_custom.jpg
http://www.chinamaps.org/i
mages/china-map/provincemaps/thumb/taiwan.jpg
Study






A paper mill
B agricultural runoff
7 basins
A6 and B7 conservation
A2-A5 and B2-B6 treatment
A1 and B1 inlets
(Wu et el, 2010)
Experiment
 Took water samples quarterly




from inlets A1 and B1 and
outlets of A1, A2, A3, A6, B1,
B3, B4, and B7 grab method
Flow rates at each point
Refrigerated until used.
Checked for suspended
sediment, dissolved oxygen,
total nitrogen, total
phosphorus , conductivity ,
pH. Chlorophyll A and total
chloroforms
Ion Chromatography, Orion
DO meter for oxygen,
portable conductivity, and
spectrometer
(Wu et el, 2010)
Results
(Wu et el, 2010)
Results
•A. 13,454 m 3/day, 0.08
m/day, and 5.5 days
•HLR, and HRT for
System B (hydraulic
retention rate, hydraulic
retention time were
•B. 5,309 m /day, 0.04
m/day, and 13.3 /day,
•48% BOD and TC from
A
•96% from B
•TN= 52 and 61%
•TP=40%
(Wu et el,
2010)
Conclusions
 Lower BOD and Eh because of biodegradation
 Higher Dissolved Oxygen toward surface due to algae.
 Low oxygen in lower water because of nitrification and
denitrification and lower nitrate and ammonia.
 Removed nitrogen the most
 BOD (biological oxygen demand) higher correlation
with RR and effluent concentrations; higher BO
loading, more removal and higher effluent.
Conclusions
 No significant difference for PLR (pollutant loading rate)




and RR of TN, as well a TP
This might be because of plant removal of nutrients.
Increase of nutrients if plants not harvested or sediment
removal
First order decay model k values of TN (Total Nitrogen)
=.15 and .09; TP(Total Phosphorus)=.1 and .09p; BOD=.21
and .08
Water not meet requirements to be reused for irrigation
2 things to Increase Pollutant removal:
 Harvest plants frequently to keep plants with high metabolic
rates for removal
 Decrease amount of nutrients before getting into the wetland.
My Conclusions
 Wetlands are efficient of removing nutrients and
toxins from, runoff and sewage sludge.
 More wetlands need constructed to be able to catch
more runoff
 Less runoff into rivers could also be an important
solution
 Wetlands not also important for pollutant removal but
also biodiversity and wildlife preservation.
 Worked in Taiwan, can work here in the US
What was Discussed?
 Background of Wetlands
 Why Wetlands are needed/Problems
 How Wetlands are solutions?
 Case Study Showing Wetlands as a Solution
 Conclusions
 My conclusion
References
 Wu, C. Y., Kao, C. M., Lin, C. E., Chen, C. W., & Lai, Y. C. (2010). Using
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
a constructed wetland for non-point source pollution control and river
water quality purification: a case study in Taiwan. Water Science &
Technology, 61(10), 2549-2555.
US EPA. 2001. Functions and Values of Wetlands. US Environmental
Protection Agency. Online. 12 November 2011. <
http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/outreach/upload/fun_val.pdf/>.
Washington State Department of Ecology. 2011. Functions and Values
of Wetlands. Washington State Ecology Department. 11 November 2011.
<http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/wetlands/functions.html>.
Wetlands International. 2011. What Are Wetlands? Wetlands for Water
and Life. 9 November 2011.
http://www.wetlands.org/Aboutus/Whatarewetlands/tabid/202/Defau
lt.aspx>.
Gold, J Mike. 2011. Celebrate the Wetlands. Mike J. Gold’s Blog. 13
November 2011. <http://blog.mikejgold.com/celebrate-the-wetlands>.
Questions?