Nitrate-nitrogen retention in wetlands in the Mississippi River Basin

Nitrate-nitrogen retention as a result of river water diversions is compared in experimental wetland basins in Ohio for 18 wetland-years (9 years × 2 wetland basins) and a large wetland complex in Louisiana (1 wetland basin × 4 years). The Ohio wetlands had an average nitrate-nitrogen retention of 39 g-N m⁻² year⁻¹, while the Louisiana wetland had a slightly higher retention of 46 g-N m⁻² year⁻¹ for a similar loading rate area. When annual nitrate retention data from these sites are combined with 26 additional wetland-years of data from other wetland sites in the Basin Mississippi River (Ohio, Illinois, and Louisiana), a robust regression model of nitrate retention versus nitrate loading is developed. The model provides an estimate of 22,000 km² of wetland creation and restoration needed in the Mississippi River Basin to remove 40% of the nitrogen estimated to discharge into the Gulf of Mexico from the river basin. This estimated wetland restoration is 65 times the published net gain of wetlands in the entire USA over the past 10 years as enforced by the Clean Water Act and is four times the cumulative total of the USDA Wetland Reserve Program wetland protection and restoration activity for the entire USA.     

Energy requirements for nitrification and biological nitrogen removal in engineered wetlands

Nitrogen in wastewater degrades aquifer and surface water quality. To protect water quality in the United States, nitrogen discharge standards are strict: typically 1.0 mg/L NH₄-N for discharge to surface water and 10 mg/L total nitrogen (TN) for discharge to soil. Passive constructed wetland treatment systems cannot meet the nitrification standards discussed in this paper, using loading rates commonly considered to be cost-effective based on economic conditions in North America. Although partial nitrification can be achieved with some vertically or intermittently loaded, subsurface flow (SSF) wetlands, complete nitrification cannot be achieved in these passive wetland treatment systems. Engineered wetlands (EWs) use mechanical power inputs via pumping of air or water to nitrify wastewater, and have evolved in large part to nitrify wastewater. The design energy requirements for these power inputs have yet to be described in the wetland treatment literature. Our paper investigates the energy and area requirements of three wetland technologies: aerated subsurface flow, tidal flow, and pulse-fed wetland treatment, compared to a mechanical activated-sludge treatment system.     

Factors influencing the efficiency of constructed wetlands used for the treatment of intensive trout farm effluent

In this paper the factors influencing treatment performance of subsurface flow constructed wetlands (SSF wetlands) treating aquaculture effluents were identified and quantified. The financial impact of advanced aquaculture effluent treatment with SSF wetlands was calculated.It is the first long-term, commercial-scale trial of SSF wetland treatment for effluents from intensive trout farming, a highly diluted effluent at very high flow rates (mean total phosphorous concentration 0.34 mg L^?1 at 14.3 L s^?1). The 12-month survey provided the opportunity to generate calculation fundamentals for the commercial application of SSF wetlands for aquaculture. Treatment efficiencies of up to 75–86% for total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), biological oxygen demand (BOD₅) and total suspended solids (TSS) were achieved. The daily area retention rate per square meter wetland area was between 2.1 and 4.5 g for TAN and between 30 and 98 g for TSS.The performance of the six wetland cells comprising three replicated hydraulic loading groups (14.5, 6.9, 3.3 m³ m^?2 day^?1) was monitored, offering the possibility to identify factors influencing treatment efficiency through multifactor analysis. These factors turned out to be nutrient inflow concentration, hydraulic loading rate and accumulation of TSS within the wetland bed, the only time-dependent factor. Factors such as vegetation period and fish harvesting were shown to be of significant but negligible importance.Inflow nutrient concentration is determined by production intensity, husbandry conditions, feed quality and any pre-treatment of effluent. Hydraulic load is determined by the space and budget available for SSF construction. TSS accumulation in the wetland is influenced by pre-treatment of the solid fraction prior to the wetland and determines the wetland service lifetime.From these factors the expenses of commercial wetland application can be estimated, leading to a cost increase around €0.20 kg^?1 fish produced (less than 10% of production costs) and therefore confirm the commercial feasibility of SSF wetland treatment.     

Diffuse nutrient reduction in the German Baltic Sea catchment: Cost-effectiveness analysis of water protection measures

Water quality of groundwater, rivers, and seas is still negatively influenced by high diffuse nitrogen and phosphorus discharge. Increasing importance is attached to cost-effectiveness to indicate sufficient measures to reduce nutrient input of land use. The aim of this paper is to find cost-effective solutions for diffuse nutrient load reductions for the German Baltic Sea region (by formulating scenarios for a 25% and 50% reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus). I combined nutrient emission and land use modelling (literature analyses, MONERIS-data) with economic land use analysis (e.g. opportunity costs, costs of the production methods) in a cost-effectiveness analysis.The results show that total reduction costs need not be as expensive as often anticipated (e.g. 25% simultaneous reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus costs about 8–20 € (ha y)⁻¹).Advisory service turned out as the most cost-effective measure and the most important indicator for the cost-saving potential. The measure included guidelines to the farmers on land use and water quality optimization. For example, if a 100% advisory service is successful, total costs for a 25% simultaneous reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus could drop by 65%, corresponding to 23 million € y⁻¹ compared to a 50% advisory service. Due to a lack of data, I could not consider the additional nutrient retention capacity of wetlands and buffer strips in the analysis.The policy recommendations derived from this study deliver insights for the strategic orientation of water protection policy and useful indicators to measure the performance. The results are of interest not only in the Baltic Sea context, but also for supporting and facilitating the application of the cost-effectiveness analysis postulated in the Water Framework Directive. Future research should concentrate on improving data availability (e.g. livestock husbandry) and models and on implementing further transaction costs and additional indicators like nutrient retention of wetlands.     

Nutrient removal in wetlands with different macrophyte structures in eastern Lake Taihu,China

A natural wetland of about 12 000 m² along the east coast of Lake Taihu was separated into five subzones with different macrophyte structures to investigate their nutrient removal dynamics. Wastewater was continuously pumped into the wetland from July 2008 to June 2009 at an average rate of 22 m³/h. Neighboring natural wetland with high density of macrophyte was chosen as a comparison site. The removal of TN, TDN, TP, and TDP in the experimental wetlands as a whole was about 79.3, 54.5, 4.5, and 3.4 kg, respectively. The decrease of nitrogen concentration was more pronounced in winter (January–March) 2009, representing a respective reduction of 46.4%, 48.0%, and 47.9% in TN, TDN, and NH₄–N concentration. Results reveal a higher nutrient removal potential in wetland dominated by Typha orientalis Presl, Zizania latifolia Turcz, and Hemarthria sibirica under high nutrient load. However, areas dominated by Zizania latifolia Turcz, Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn, and Ceratophyllum demersum L. had better purification performance when the above-water-surface macrophytes were harvested frequently. Dissolved oxygen, pH, and oxidation–reduction potential decreased with the increase of the percentage of Zizania latifolia Turcz-dominated macrophytes. High nutrient concentration in the comparison site and net increase of NH₄–N in Z1 indicate the possibility of water re-pollution by intense macrophyte decomposition. Furthermore, results suggest that harvesting macrophytes has potential ability in nitrogen, especially ammonium nitrogen removal, and hence could be considered in wetland construction for lake restoration.     

Performance of the Columbia,Missouri, treatment wetland

Constructed treatment wetlands have served the City of Columbia, MO, for fourteen years. Four free water surface wetland units in series, comprised of 23 cells, are an addition to the activated sludge wastewater treatment plant, for the purpose of added biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) control. The system operates year-round, and supplies water to the Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area for wetland maintenance. The cattail wetlands processed an average of 57,000 m³/d, at a water depth of 20 cm. The resulting detention time was approximately 2 days, and the hydraulic loading was 13 cm/d. Water temperatures were warm leaving the treatment plant and in the wetlands in winter, because of the short detention. The period of record average carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD) leaving the wetlands was 5.0 mg/L, and the TSS was 14.7 mg/L. Dissolved oxygen was depressed in summer, likely because of the high sediment demand. Nutrient concentrations were only minimally reduced, total nitrogen (TN) by 22% and total phosphorus (TP) by 6%. However, load reductions were maximal, 98 t/yr for nitrogen, and 3.6 t/yr for phosphorus. Fecal coliforms were reduced by 98%, and E. coli by 95%. First order rate coefficients were high for CBOD (64 m/yr), nitrate (61 m/yr) and organic nitrogen (42 m/yr), but relatively low for ammonia (8 m/yr) and phosphorus (5.7 m/yr). Nitrogen removal was strongly affected by vegetative uptake. Sediment accretion in the wetland inlets was substantial, at 1.6 cm/yr in the inlets to the upstream wetland units. Muskrats caused vegetation damage, and waterfowl use was high in winter, causing TSS excursions.     

Effects of vegetation,limestone and aeration on nitritation,anammox and denitrification in wetland treatment systems

Integration of partial nitrification (nitritation) and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) in constructed wetlands creates a sustainable design for nitrogen removal. Three wetland treatment systems were operated with synthetic wastewater (60 mg NH₃–N L^?1) in a batch mode of fill – 1-week reaction – drain. Each treatment system had a surface flow wetland (unplanted, planted, and planted plus aerated, respectively) with a rooting substrate of sandy loam and limestone pellets, followed by an unplanted subsurface flow wetland. Meanwhile, three surface flow wetlands with a substrate of sandy loam and pavestone were operated in parallel to the former surface flow wetlands. Influent and effluent were monitored weekly for five cycles. Aeration reduced nitrogen removal due to hindered nitrate reduction. Vegetation maintained pH near neutral and moderate dissolved oxygen, significantly improved ammonia removal by anammox, and had higher TN removal due to coexistence of anammox and denitrification in anaerobic biofilm layers. Nitrite production was at a peak at the residence time of 4–5 d. Relative to pavestone, limestone increased the nitrite mass production peak by 97%. The subsurface flow wetlands removed nitrogen via nitritation and anammox, having an anammox activity of up to 2.4 g N m^?3 d^?1 over a startup operation of two months.     

Economic values and dominant providers of key ecosystem services of wetlands in Beijing,China

This study estimates the economic values of and the dominant contributors to five key ecosystem services of wetlands in Beijing, by using the wetland inventory data in 2014 and economic valuation methods. Results indicate that the 51,434 ha of wetlands in Beijing annually provide 2.07 billion m³ of flood regulation, 944.01 million m³ of water provision, 42,154 tons of chemical oxygen demand (COD) purification, 3.03 PJ of heat absorption, and 9587 ha of habitat. Their economic values are estimated to be 15.89 billion RMB, 1.19 billion RMB, 169 million RMB, 421 million RMB, and 1.08 billion RMB in 2014 (RMB: Chinese currency, US$1 = RMB 6.14), respectively. The total values of five key wetland ecosystem services reach 18.76 billion RMB. In addition, the reservoir and river wetlands in Miyun, Yanqing, Fangshan, Huairou, and Mentougou Districts contribute 78% of key ecosystem services, whereas the urban wetlands in Xicheng, Dongcheng, Haidian, Chaoyang, and Tongzhou Districts more conveniently serve densely local people, hence they should be given particular attentions. In this paper, we develop the valuation methods of wetland ecosystem services, and recommend diversified strategies, regulations, and programs to protect the remaining wetlands in Beijing. This work can also provide a reference for the valuating of wetland ecosystem services for other urban-rural areas.     

Denitrification of nitrified and non-nitrified swine lagoon wastewater in the suspended sludge layer of treatment wetlands

One method for managing livestock-wastewater N is the use of treatment wetlands. The objectives of this study were to (1) assess the magnitude of denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) in the suspended sludge layers of bulrush and cattail treatment wetlands, and (2) evaluate the impact of nitrogen pretreatment on DEA in the suspended sludge layer. The study used four wetland cells (3.6 m × 33.5 m) with two cells connected in series. Each wetland series received either untreated or partially nitrified swine wastewater from a single-cell anaerobic lagoon. The DEA of the suspended sludge layers of the constructed wetlands was measured by the acetylene inhibition method. The control DEA treatment for the sludge layer had a mean rate of 18 μg N₂O-N g^?1 sludge h^?1. Moreover, the potential DEA (nitrate-N and glucose-C added) mean was very large, 121 μg N₂O-N g^?1 sludge h^?1. These DEA rates are consistent with the previously reported high levels of nitrogen removal by denitrification from these wetlands, especially when the wastewater was partially nitrified. Stepwise regression using distance within the wetland, wastewater nitrate, and wastewater ammonia explained much of the variation in DEA rates. In both bulrush and cattail wetlands, there were zones of very high potential DEA.     

Comparative study of ecological indices for assessing human-induced disturbance in coastal wetlands of the Laurentian Great Lakes

Several ecological indices have been developed to evaluate the wetland quality in the Laurentian Great Lakes. One index, the water quality index (WQI) can be widely applied to wetlands and produces accurate measurements of wetland condition. The WQI measures the degree of water quality degradation as a result of nutrient enrichment and road runoff. The wetland fish index (WFI), wetland zooplankton index (WZI), and the wetland macrophyte index (WMI), are all derived from the statistical relationships of biotic communities along a gradient of deteriorating water quality. Compared to the WQI, these indices are less labor-intensive, cost less, and have the potential to produce immediate results. We tested the relative sensitivity of each biotic index for 32 Great Lakes wetlands relative to the WQI and to each other. The WMI (r² = 0.84) and WFI (r² = 0.75) had significant positive relationships (P < 0.0001) with the WQI in a linear and polynomial fashion. Slopes of the WMI and WFI were similar when comparing the polynomial regressions (ANCOVA; P = 0.117) but intercepts were significantly different (P = 0.004). The WZI had a positive relationship with the WQI in degraded wetlands and a negative relationship in minimally impacted wetlands. The strengths and weaknesses of each index can be explained by the interactions among fish, zooplankton, aquatic plants and water chemistry. The distribution of different species indicative of low and high quality in each index provides insight into the relative wetland community composition in different parts of the Great Lakes and helps to explain the differences in index scores when different organisms are used. Our findings suggest that the WMI and WFI produce comparable results but the WZI should not be used in the minimally impacted wetlands without further study.     

Nutrient retention function of a stream wetland complex—A high-frequency monitoring approach

The ability of riverine ecosystems to retain nutrients depends on different hydrological, chemical and biological conditions including exchange processes between streams and wetlands. We investigated nutrient retention in a stream wetland complex on the time scale of daily hydrological exchange between both systems. Daily mass balances of NO₃-N, NH₄-N, TP and SRP were calculated with data obtained by two automated measurement stations in a stream reach upstream and downstream of a wetland. The pattern of hydrological exchange between stream and wetland was used to classify characteristic hydrological periods like floods, base and low flows. The nutrient retention function of the stream wetland complex varied considerably during phases of similar hydrologic conditions. Despite re-wetting measures in the wetland, an overall net export of all nutrients except for NH₄-N characterised the whole growing season. Nitrate retention occurred during summer flood (retention in the wetland, 23 kg NO₃-N d^?1, 17% of the input load) and low flow (retention in the stream, 1 kg NO₃-N d^?1, 2% of the input load). TP retention during summer could be assigned to sedimentation (0.7 kg TP d^?1, 7% during flooding in the wetland, 0.2 kg TP d^?1, 4% during low flow in the stream). SRP retention was only intermittent. We concluded that the nutrient retention of streams and wetlands can only be optimised by restoration measures that regard both systems as one functional unit in terms of nutrient retention.     

Ecosystem service values and restoration in the urban Sanyang wetland of Wenzhou,China

Over the course of a year, we conducted a study on future restoration work in the Sanyang wetland, a degraded permanent river wetland that is close to the center of Wenzhou city, China. Our main objective was to plan the restoration by using both structural indices and a valuation of the wetland's ecosystem services, thereby linking the science to human welfare. Based on field surveys and research into the history of the study area, we calculated both the potential and current values of the main ecosystem services. The results showed that the potential value at the Sanyang wetland was 55,332 yuan ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, while the current value was only 5807 yuan ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. In other words, 89.5% of the service value needs to be restored for the wetland to reach its potential value. We recommend that the service provided by the wetland's ability to purify the environment needs to be the top priority in restoration. In addition, water and sediment quality should also be greatly improved.     

Restoration of wetlands in the Mississippi–Ohio–Missouri (MOM) River Basin: Experience and needed research

An ecological and hydrologic restoration of the Mississippi–Ohio–Missouri (MOM) Basin in the United States is proposed as the solution to the reccurring hypoxic conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. Nitrate–nitrogen is the cause of this eutrophication in the Gulf and its source is mainly due to increased fertilizer use in the American Midwest. In that same Midwest, the land has also been artificially drained and 80–90% of the original wetlands have been lost. Our proposed restoration involves the strategic creation and restoration of 2.2 million ha of wetlands in the MOM basin where in-field wetlands intercept agricultural runoff and diversion wetlands are overflowed by flooding river water. Case studies that total 50 wetland-years of data from Illinois, Ohio, and Louisiana are summarized as the basis for the restoration area estimate. Benefits of this restoration, in addition to solving the Gulf hypoxia, include water quality improvement, reduction of public health threats, habitat creation, and flood mitigation that will accrue to the locations in the MOM basin where the restoration occurs. Before the restoration commences, there is a need for formal and rigorous large-scale research in the basin to reduce uncertainties.     

Comparison of the treatment performances of blast furnace slag-based and gravel-based vertical flow wetlands operated identically for domestic wastewater treatment in Turkey

In 2001, to foster the practical development of constructed wetlands (CWs) used for domestic wastewater treatment in Turkey, vertical subsurface flow constructed wetlands (30 m² of each) were implemented on the campus of the METU, Ankara, Turkey. The main objective of the research was to quantify the effect of different filter media on the treatment performance of vertical flow wetlands in the prevailing climate of Ankara. Thus, a gravel-filled wetland and a blast furnace granulated iron slag-filled wetland were operated identically with primarily treated domestic wastewater (3 m³ d⁻¹) at a hydraulic loading rate of 0.100 m d⁻¹, intermittently. Both of the wetland cells were planted with Phragmites australis. According to the first year results, average removal efficiencies for the slag and gravel wetland cells were as follows: total suspended solids (TSS) (63% and 59%), chemical oxygen demand (COD) (47% and 44%), NH₄⁺–N (88% and 53%), total nitrogen (TN) (44% and 39%), PO₄³⁻-P (44% and 1%) and total phosphorus (TP) (45% and 4%). The treatment performances of the slag-filled wetland were better than that of the gravel-filled wetland in terms of removal of phosphorus and production of nitrate. Since this study was a pioneer for implementation of subsurface constructed wetlands in Turkey using local sources, it has proved that this eco-technology could also be used effectively for water quality enhancement in Turkey.     

Implications of global climatic change and energy cost and availability for the restoration of the Mississippi delta

Over the past several thousand years, inputs from the Mississippi River formed the Mississippi delta, an area of about 25,000 km². Over the past century, however, there has been a high loss of coastal wetlands of about 4800 km². The main causes of this loss are the near complete isolation of the river from the delta, mostly due to the construction of flood control levees, and pervasive hydrological disruption of the deltaic plain. There is presently a large-scale State-Federal program to restore the delta that includes construction of water control structures in the flood control levees to divert river water into deteriorating wetlands and pumping of dredged sediment, often for long distances, for marsh creation. Global climate change and decreasing availability and increasing cost of energy are likely to have important implications for delta restoration. Coastal restoration efforts will have to be more intensive to offset the impacts of climate change including accelerated sea level rise and changes in precipitation patterns. Future coastal restoration efforts should also focus on less energy-intensive, ecologically engineered management techniques that use the energies of nature as much as possible. Diversions may be as important for controlling salinity as for providing sediments and nutrients for restoring coastal wetlands. Energy-intensive pumping-dredged sediments for coastal restoration will likely become much more expensive in the future.     

Effects of reclamation of natural wetlands to a rice paddy on dissolved carbon dynamics in the Sanjiang Plain,Northeastern China

Natural wetlands play an important role in the global carbon cycle, and loss of dissolved carbon through water has been indicated as one of the most important carbon sources for riverine ecosystems. During the last century, a large natural wetland area was reported to be converted to other land use types such as rice paddy land around the world. In this study, we explored the dynamics of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in two natural freshwater wetlands and a rice paddy field, which was reclaimed from the natural wetlands in the Sanjiang Plain, Northeastern China, during the growing season (May–October) of 2009. The DOC and DIC concentrations in the two ecosystems were significantly different (P < 0.05). The mean DOC concentrations during the growing season in the surface water of the Deyeuxia angustifolia and Carex lasiocarpa wetlands were 49.88 ± 5.44 and 27.97 ± 1.69 mg/L, respectively, while it was only 8.63 ± 2.54 mg/L in the rice paddy field. Specific ultra-violet light absorption at 254 nm (SUVA₂₅₄) of DOC increased by an average of 19.54% in the surface water from the natural wetlands to rice paddy, suggesting that DOC mobilized in the natural wetlands was more aromatic than that in the rice paddy field. The mean DIC concentration in surface water of the rice paddy was 5.25 and 5.04 times higher than that in the natural D. angustifolia and C. lasiocarpa wetlands, respectively. The average ratio of DIC to dissolved total carbon (DTC) for the water sampled from the artificial drainage ditch in the rice paddy field was 61.82%, while it was 14.75% from the nearby channel of natural wetlands. The significant differences in dissolved carbon concentration in surface water and channels originating from different land use types suggested that reclamation of natural wetlands to rice paddy field would reduce DOC runoff and increase the DIC concentration to adjacent watersheds. Our study results for the changed pattern in dissolved carbon after the natural wetland was transformed to paddy field could have important implications for studying the impacts of the large-scale land use change to carbon cycle and management.     

Nitrate removal in surface-flow constructed wetlands treating dilute agricultural runoff in the lower Yakima Basin,Washington

Constructed treatment wetlands (CTWs) have been used effectively to treat a range of wastewaters and non-point sources contaminated with nitrogen (N). But documented long-term case studies of CTWs treating dilute nitrate-dominated agricultural runoff are limited. This study presents an analysis of four years of water quality data for a 1.6-ha surface-flow CTW treating irrigation return flows in Yakima Basin in central Washington. The CTW consisted of a sedimentation basin followed by two surface-flow wetlands in parallel, each with three cells. Inflow typically contained 1–3 mg-N/L nitrate and <0.4 mg-N/L total Kjeldahl N (TKN). Hydraulic loading was fairly constant, ranging from around 125 cm/d in the sedimentation basin to 12 cm/d in the treatment wetlands. Concentration removal efficiencies for nitrate averaged 34% in the sedimentation basin and 90–93% in the treatment wetlands. Total N removal efficiencies averaged 21% and 57–63% in the sedimentation basin and treatment wetlands, respectively. Area-based first-order removal rate constants for nitrate in the wetlands averaged 142–149 m/yr. Areal removal rates for nitrate in treatment wetlands averaged 139–146 mg-N/m²/d. Outflow from the CTW typically contained <0.1 mg-N/L nitrate and <0.6 mg-N/L TKN. Rates of nitrate loss in wetlands were highly seasonal, generally peaking in the summer months (June–August). Nitrate loss rates also correlated significantly with water temperature (positively) and dissolved oxygen (negatively). Based on the modified Arrhenius relationship, θ for nitrate loss in the wetlands was 1.05–1.09. The CTW also significantly affected temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration in waters flowing through the system. On average, the sedimentation basin caused an increase in temperature (+1.7 °C) and dissolved oxygen (+1.5 mg/L); in contrast the wetlands caused a decrease in temperature (?1.6 °C) and dissolved oxygen (?5.0 mg/L). Results show that CTWs with surface-flow wetlands can be extremely effective at polishing dilute non-point sources, particularly in semi-arid environments where warm temperatures and low oxygen levels in treatment wetland water promote biological denitrification.     

Effects of wetland construction on water quality in a semi-arid catchment degraded by intensive agricultural use

Many factors can influence the improvement of water quality in surface-flow constructed wetlands (SFW). To test if water quality was improved, especially in nutrient and salt content, after passage through SFW, 11 wetland plots of various sizes (50, 200, 800 and 5000 m²) were established within constructed wetlands on agricultural soils in the Ebro River basin (NE Spain) that had been affected by salinization. A set of 15 water quality parameters (e.g., nutrients, salts, sediments, and alkalinity) was obtained from samples collected at the inflow and outflow of the wetlands during the first 4 years after the wetlands were constructed. NO₃-N retention rates were as high as 99% in the largest (5000 m²) wetlands. After 4 years, total phosphorus was still being released from the wetlands but not salts. Over the same period, in small wetlands (50, 200, and 800 m²), retention rate relative to the input of NO₃-N increased from 40% to almost 60%. Retention of NO₃-N amounted to up to 500 g N m^?2 per year, for an average load concentration at inflow of ～20 mg l^?1. Release of Na⁺ declined from 16% to 0–2% by volume, for an average load concentration at inflow of ～70 mg l^?1. At the current retention rate of NO₃-N (76–227 g m^?2 per year), 1.5–4% of the catchment should be converted into wetlands to optimize the elimination of NO₃-N.     

Feasibility of using constructed treatment wetlands for municipal wastewater treatment in the Bogotá Savannah,Colombia

The main water bodies in the Bogotá Savannah have been seriously polluted due to the mismanagement of domestic, agricultural, and industrial wastewater. While there are a number of wastewater treatment facilities in the region, most do not function properly. There is a great need for inexpensive and sustainable wastewater treatment systems that are not technologically sophisticated and that do not require intensive management. The main goal of this study was to quantify the performance and sustainability of treatment wetlands and existing wastewater treatment systems in this region. Using data from the literature, a treatment wetland model was developed, which focused on pollutant removal. The modeled performance was compared to a system of waste stabilization ponds and a sequencing batch reactor. The three systems were subject to cost analysis and an emergy evaluation, leading to the assessment of indicators of cost-benefit for comparison. The economic analysis suggested that the net annual cost of the treatment wetland was US$ 14,672, compared to US$ 14,201 for the stabilization ponds and US$ 54,887 for the batch reactor. The emergy evaluations show that the ponds have the lowest annual emergy flow (6.65 + 16 sej/yr), followed by the constructed wetland (2.88E+17 sej/yr) and the batch reactor (8.86E+17 sej/yr). These results were combined to estimate treatment ratios (contaminants removed per lifetime cost, and contaminants removed per total emergy), cost ratios (cost per volume of water, annual cost per capita, and construction cost per capita), and emergy ratios (treatment yield, renewable emergy, lifetime emprice, construction emprice, non-renewable emergy, empower density, environmental loading, total emergy per volume of water, and emergy per capita).     

Macrobenthos functional groups as indicators of ecological restoration in the northern part of China’s Yellow River Delta Wetlands

Freshwater releases to restore degraded wetlands are a globally recognized way to maintain the biodiversity and enhance the health of wetland ecosystems. To better understand the efficacy of freshwater releases in the northern part of China’s Yellow River Delta Wetlands, we used macrobenthos functional groups in spring (before freshwater releases), summer (during), and autumn (after) as indicators of the ecological responses. We also created abundance–biomass comparison curves and analyzed secondary production of each trophic level to evaluate the magnitude of the disturbance of the macrobenthos community. Abundance, biomass, and biodiversity of macrobenthos functional groups generally improved after the freshwater releases. In contrast with an intertidal (reference) area, the macrobenthos community in the ecological restoration area tended to be freshwater species. In the ecological restoration area, strong and moderate ecological disturbance of the macrobenthos community was evident during and after freshwater releases because the abundance curve remained above the biomass curve. Secondary production was in the order trophic level III > II ≅ IV in the summer, which indicates fragility of the macrobenthos community. The ecological restoration area had the highest sediment total organic carbon and moisture contents, but the lowest salinity and median particle size, and these differences were statistically significant. Our results suggest that adaptive freshwater releases, including a long-term freshwater release plan that more closely emulates natural flows and increasing the efficiency of freshwater utilization, will be necessary to achieve sustainable management of the wetland’s ecosystem and reduce the disturbance caused by the freshwater releases.