Use of wetlands for water quality improvement. Artificial purification swamps and wastewater gardens. cd.

4. WASTEWATER GARDENS

A natural water purification process is used in wastewater gardens. This technology is suitable for dispersed villages, mountain regions and other areas where sewerage system construction is difficult or expensive. The installation is based on a gravel layer with subsurface horizontal water flow. The surface is covered with many species of wetlands plants appropriate in respect to the local climate and the kind of sewage. Variety of plants has a positive effect on water cleaning and improves the appearance of a garden.


This system is very effective and reliable even if the level of sewage is changing often. It is also recommended for hotels and restaurants, especially that no unpleasant stink is produced due to water flowing under the surface of a gravel layer.

The garden utilization does not require any chemical agents to be used. The level of water and growth of plants need to be controlled, much like in case of a regular garden. To be properly designed and built, wastewater gardens should comply with environmental protection requirements of the European Union. The first wastewater garden suitable for the Central Europe climate was established in Poland, in 2002, on the area of 24 m2. It was a part of the Jagiellonian University biological research station in Krempna, located in Magurski National Park. The second was built in 2003 - in Lutowiska, Bieszczady. This one is a little bigger, with the area of 36 m2. Both are used for research work and to popularize this way of water treatment [4].

REFERENCES

[1] BERGIER T., CZECH A., CZUPRYŃSKI P., ŁOPATA A., WACHNIEW P., WOJTAL J., Roślinne oczyszczalnie ścieków – przewodnik dla gmin, Kraków, 2004
[2] FIDRYSIAK J. Oczyszczalnie roślinne, a gospodarka wodno-ściekowa w gminach wiejskich. Oczyszczalnie trzcinowe według technologii duńskiej, Katedra Wodociągów i Kanalizacji, Politechnika Łódzka, 1997 [3] HEINDRICH Z., Przydomowe oczyszczalnie ścieków, Ekopartner nr 10, 1999, 10-11
[4] www.carpathians.pl, luty 2008
[5] www.vattenavlopp.info/vatmark/wetland.htm, luty 2008