http://rydberg.biology.colostate.edu/Phytoremediation/2001/Cindy_web/intro.html
Wetlands are an essential natural natural resource. They provide many essential ecosystem functions. These include water filtration, stormwater retention, and wildlife habitat. Wetlands also provide benefits for people as well, including flood buffering, runoff filtration, and providing fish and other food sources. Since the 1700's, the U.S. has lost over 50% of its wetlands, mainly due to human development.
Recent trends have begun to shift, however, with a new emphasis on preservation and restoration of wetlands. Constructed wetlands are artificially created systems that are meant to duplicate certain functions of natural wetlands. Constructed wetlands can be used to remove a variety of pollutants from water. They do this through the complex interactions of plants and microorganisms, which can take up and remove pollutants from water. Among other things, they can be used to treat wastewater, stormwater, and agricultural runoff.
There are many benefits associated with using artificial wetlands for treating wastewater and stormwater. One is the aesthetic value of wetlands. An on site constructed wetland is more aesthetically pleasing than is a high tech treatment facility. This aesthetic value can raise the value of a property. Constructed wetlands are relatively low in cost to install, and maintenance requirements are minimal. They are a sustainable alternative to larger facilities, and they require less energy input than conventional treatment systems.
Constructed Wetlands are being used in many places around the world. For example, small towns in the Tennessee Valley and rural Pennsylvania are using artificial wetlands to treat their municipal waste. The artificial marshes in these areas are said to provide sewage treatment that is as good as, or better than, traditional treatment facilities. In addition, the marshes provide aesthetic value, as well as wildlife habitat for the area. Another reason why these small towns are turning to artificial wetlands is because of the low cost to install and maintain.
I believe that constructed wetlands are an excellent alternative to conventional water treatment facilities. Their low cost make them ideal for small communities, where larger facilities may be unnecessary or impractical. In addition to treating pollution from human activities, these wetlands can also help to restore key ecosystem functions. By replacing wetlands that have been removed, constructed wetlands can provide wildlife habitat, as well as hold floodwater. All of these benefits make it easy to see why many communities are looking at constructed wetlands.
I agree in that constructed wetlands are a viable option to for water treatment applications but their effectiveness and applicability should be judged on a case by case basis. In my opinion, they would be an excellent supplement to waste water treatment facilities across the nation, both aesthetically and functionally. It would be really interesting to combine aesthetic design to these generally ugly, sterile treatment plants. Imagine employing such design philosophy in and around these facilities to, essentially, beautify the facilities themselves while serving the dual purpose of reducing the overall load. That, in my opinion, would be the best application. As far as relying on just relying on artificial wetlands for treatment, I have to remain a little skeptical because of the nature and complexity of the pollutants that we produce. The chemical composition of many of these pollutants are simply be more than natural processes can handle, especially in line of the immediacy that we require and demand for the sake of the environment and ourselves. One aspect of constructed wetlands in which I strongly disagree is the idea that we can replace them. I'm speaking of the no-net-loss philosophy that some policy makers seem to think alleviate our consumption and destruction of natural wetlands. Playing God is symptomatic of the human idea of supremacy. We seem to think that we have an understanding of the infinite intricacies that nature is comprised of. No, an artificial wetland does not equate to one that was naturally formed. There are specific reasons why the wetland was there in the first place and location is the least of it. There are unseen, unobservable elements to ecology and the environment that we cannot come close to addressing. As you mentioned in your post as far as already having lost over 50 percent of wetlands, our policy should be zero-loss and this may already be inadequate.
ReplyDeleteReally well thought out comment. As far whether to use constructed wetlands as a replacement or as a supplement to traditional wastewater facilities, I think it varies on a case by case basis. In some small, isolated communities, a large traditional treatment plant may not be economically feasible. In situations where traditional plants are possible, I agree that incorporation of wetland plants can increase effectiveness and efficiency of treatment. I do agree that we cannot completely recreate all the functions of the wetlands that we have destroyed. However, constructed wetlands can be beneficial to an ecosystem, and can be made to function in a way to maximize their efficiency for a given area.
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