Constructed Treatment Wetlands Below is some valuable information that we believe you should know about constructed treatment wetlands (CTWs). This will include the value of CTWs, how they work, the different types of CTWs, and some examples of CTWs in use today.
Value of Constructed Treatment Wetlands Engineers and scientist have designed constructed treatment wetlands for the sole purpose of improving water quality that was polluted from point and nonpoint sources of water pollution. Including storm water runoff, domestic wastewater, agricultural wastewater, and mine drainage. They’re many benefits for CTWs that you should know about. Natural wetlands are some of the most biologically diverse and productive natural ecosystems in the world, therefore most CTWs can provide the same benefits that natural ones provide. First, CTWs are generally less expensive compared to traditional wastewater treatment options. This is an important detail because CTWs can cut the cost of water treatment over time by a large amount due to low maintenance cost. In addition to cutting cost, CTWs are self sufficient, with proper construction/maintenance. If a large storm comes in or unexpected level of wastewater is experienced, a CTW would be able to handle the extra load with little problem if constructed correctly, while traditional water treatment options can have a negative impact due to excess wastewater. Another benefit of CTWs is the ability to reduce or completely eliminate odors
As decades continued to pass by the wetlands change. "People have begun to realize that wetlands are valuable and productive ecosystems that fulfill an essential function for both humans and wildlife. Due to their unique characteristics, wetlands can support a wide diversity of plants, mammals, reptiles, birds and fish. They also control floodwaters and protect us from storms and hurricanes. Wetlands also improve water quality by filtering, cleaning and storing water. Lastly, many people rely on wetlands for their livelihood, as they are important centers for hunting, fishing and recreation." Referring to this from "Wetlands and Habitat Loss", we now see how wetlands are valuable and helpful to the ecosystem. The wetlands are known for our water source. Many people depend on the Everglades for a water source. We also use the Everglades for activities. These activities include fishing, recreation, and
Wetlands provide fish and wildlife habitat. It supplies food water, along with areas that can be used for nesting or resting. Wetlands also act as a aquifer recharge and discharge area. They are able to recharge groundwater or excess groundwater is able to discharge into the wetland. Wetlands act as flood storage when rainfall and snowmelt leave an excess of water around and no place to go.
In 1996 the city of Cleveland began a $750 million Plant Enhancement Program. The program’s goal was to renovate and modernize the city’s four water treatment facilities, which are among the 10 largest in the US, and were built in 1856; over 500 million gallons of water are pumped to Cleveland residents daily. In the following paper I attempt to provide with an overview of the Baldwin
By the end of this report you should have a better perception on the geological landscape of Silver Creek Wetland Complex, and further in-depth knowledge on what stewardship responsibilities fall on you and your relationship with the land you use.
Possible solution example: Using a rain garden can dramatically impact the environment. During heavy downpours, our outdated sewer system cannot handle the runoff due to impermeable surfaces in the community. Dave Morris, who is a liaison to the mayor states, “Every homeowner should consider a rain garden to decrease the amount of pollutants running into the watershed” (305). Rain gardens provide a temporary place to hold rainwater, allowing it to be absorbed over time and filtering out contaminants that would otherwise end up in waterways.
Based on research completed by University of Minnesota soil scientists, the state mandates that every wetland should be protected by a 50-foot buffer zone. The City of Lilliput, a rural town located 30 miles north of St. Cloud, Minnesota, increased the buffer zone to150 feet in1990 within their municipality. The rationale behind Lilliput’s increase was because the town is zoned for predominantly rural uses, i.e. farming and cattle ranching. Due to the animal wasted and farmers’ use of pesticides on their crops, the Town Council felt that increasing the buffer around surrounding wetlands would better protect it from these sources of contamination than would the state minimum of 50
Ducks Unlimited tries to revert these watersheds back to their natural levels by draining the wetlands that have extremely high levels of contaminants in the water. They then clean the soil in the habitat and find a way to decrease the extra contaminates from entering the watershed. Next they will pump healthy water back into the wetlands and install buffer strips that act like a filter that will catch the extra nutrients and silt.
In the Okefenokee Swamp, passage one’s detached tone is intended to be utilized as a source for scientific reference of the area while the second passage illustrates the swamp in an engaging and poetic approach with the use of imagery and alliteration to alarm potential visitors of the dangers present in the swamp.
Wetlands improve water quality by helping with nearby flood control. The bottomland hardwoods areas contain large amount of nutrient rich soil which is capable of soaking up excess water from floods or runoff. These types of wetlands also contain marshes or swamps where the water is gathered to create a new environment for other
A major function of wetlands is that they naturally clean the table waters. With the use of microorganisms it is possible to naturally clean the water supply much better than many water purification plants. A benefit of purifying water with the use of wetlands is that not only does it save the taxpayers money but it also saves the environment from the pollution that a water purification plant would produce. Another function of wetlands is its storage ability. In the event of a large storm or heavy rain wetlands can store the floodwaters so that they do not over run the near by area. To reduce the effects of flooding wetlands are able to store "stormwater and gradually returning it to surface flow, reducing the effects of erosion by stabilizing soils, and dampening the effects of wave action". M. Dennison et.al. 1993. Wetlands also provide a feeding ground and habitat to many fish, waterfowl and other wildlife. Many endangered birds nest and breed on the shores of wetlands and these habitats are crucial for their survival. The destruction of wetlands has become a major problem, especially in California.
Describing the Okefenokee Swamp are two very different passages. Both passages contain interesting ideas. However, one passage seems more statistical than the other. For example, passage 1 describes how big the entire place is. It basically gives you an overview of the entire place not just the swamp itself. Passage 2 describes exactly what is in the swamp. For example sentence 1 says, “Vast and primeval, unfathomable, unconquerable, bastion of cottonmouth, rattlesnake and leech, mother of vegetation, father of mosquito, soul of silt, the Okefenokee is the swamp archetypal, the swamp of legend, of racial memory, of Hollywood.” Yet, while describing what’s in the swamp area, the author gives off a feeling of suspense and then later in in the
So far, many measures have been taken to conserve Oshawa’s Second Marsh. Firstly, a dike was created along Harmony Creek to prevent the sediment- and nutrient-overloaded water from directly entering the marsh, which can improve water quality (Wilcox & Whillans, 1999). A fish pathway has been built along the dike, which can used to prevent carp from getting into the wetland, and a water-control structure was also constructed, which allows water to get in or out when required (Wilcox & Whillans, 1999). Secondly, several methods, including physical harvesting, chemical control, and biological control, have been used to control and manage invasive species (Wilcox & Whillans, 1999). And, variety of native vegetation was planted in the Marsh. For
As fresh water drains from land, it mixes with salt water from an ocean, and this water is called an
Wetland soils are extremely varied. They are found from the tropics to the subarctic. They can be seasonal or year-round, freshwater or saltwater, organic or mineral. The one thing that all of them have in common is that for at least part of the year they are saturated with water. This saturation has a significant impact on the soil's physics, chemistry, and biota. However, over the past century more than half of all the wetlands in the United States has been drained for agriculture and other uses such as construction. When the soils are drained the physics, chemistry, and biota are drastically changed. This paper is an attempt to
In this article it speaks about many different types of indicators that one could see in order to determine the ecological state of the wetland by my factors such as the biodiversity, pollution levels, the fauna and flora in the wetland. This relates to our wetland as we have a large biodiversity in our wetland with little pollution as well as plants such as reeds growing which indicate a healthy wetland. We also occasionally see a large variety of birds in our wetland therefore another indicator that our wetland is healthy.