Mimicking Nature
Our Engineered Wetland Wastewater Treatment System (EWWTS) cleans the waste-waters of Riverege by mimicking the processes that occur in sedge meadow and wet prairie communities. Organic matter and viruses in the wastewater are decomposed by bacteria. Nutrients, such as phosphorous, nitrogen, cesium and calcium are released during decomposition and taken up by the plants as they grow. Organic matter is physically filtered from the waste-water as it seeps through the roots and soils of the wetland.
Clean water, free of harmful bacteria, viruses and most of its nutrient load, flows out of this system and into the neighboring sedge meadow. The nutrients remain behind, imprisoned in the plant's leaves and stems. Here they will remain until they decompose.
Our EWWTS consists of two cells which are lined with an impermeable plastic membrane that prevents any of the nutrient-bearing waters from escaping into the ground water before treatment is completed.
The cells are filled with pea-sized gravel. This provides an environment in which the aerobic bacteria essential to the cycling of nutrients can thrive and offers ample surface area for the attachment of nutrient ions.