THE ELLIOT DITCH CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS

Abstract

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the contaminant load reduction incurred using a constructed wetland with an average hydraulic detention time of five days in treating agricultural runoff. The main contaminants present in the runoff were nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural fertilizers. The findings of the experiment show that signifi-cant contaminant load reduction results can be achieved with a detention time, of as little as five days, in a properly constructed wetland system.

IMPLICATIONS

Constructed wetlands are a practical solution for treating and reducing the contaminant load of nutrient laden agricultural runoff.