Tropical Constructed Wetland for Stormwater and Wastewater Treatment

Even though wetlands have been used for wastewater treatment in Europe since 1950, according to Kadlec and Knight (1966), their usage in tropical climates has not been adopted, even though they are a low cost, low energy and low maintenance technology to treat wastewater and stormwater.

The design of this paper will analyze the pollutants present in the stormwater and determine the composition of the wastewater. It will also describe the treatment process in wetlands and will focus on hydrologic and hydraulic analysis to determine the appropriate flow rate in the wetland, the appropriate water depth, and the best residence time that will produce water that meets the quality for human consumption. It will also provide the financial cost of the project and highlight some of the concerns that can occur after the construction and how the wetland can be maintained to perform adequately.