1. Wetlands as a means to improve water quality

2. Mechanisms of improving water quality n trap sediment n sequester pollutants n remove phosphorous n remove/modify excess nitrogenous waste –how?

3. Sources of pollution that can affect water quality n Agriculture - fertilizers n Aquaculture - animal waste/feed n Livestock - animal waste/feed n Human waste -water treatment plants n Industry

4. Current Research n Natural Systems F modelling (Park et al. 2003) n Constructed systems

6. Constructed Wetland experiments n Kinds of plants u emergent (watercress), submergent (waterfern), free-floating (pondweed) ( Redding et al. 1997) n Direction of flow (Farahbakhshazad and Morrison et al. 1997) n Concentration of waste n Economics (Mississippi State University)

7. Future Research n Municipal waste treatment? n Different emergent plants? n Improve economic viability?

8. References n Cossu, R., Haarstad, K., Lavagnolo, M.C., and Littarru, P. 2001 Removal of municipal solid waste COD and NH 4 –N by phyto-reduction: A laboratory-scale comparison of terrestrial and aquatic species at different organic loads. Ecological Engineering. 16:4 pgs. 459-470. n Costa-Pierce, B.A. 1998. Prelimenary investigation of an integrated aquaculture- wetland ecosystem using tertiary-treated municipal wastewater in Los Angeles County, California. Ecological Engineering. 10:4 pgs. 341-354 n Farahbakhshazad, N. and Morrison, G.M. 1997. Ammonia Removal Process for Urine in an Upflow Macrophyte System. Environ. Sci. Technol. 31 pgs. 3314-3317 n Park, S.S., Na, Y., and Uchrin, C. 2003. An oxygen equivalent model for water quality dynamics in a macrophyte dominated river. Ecological Modelling. 168:1-2 pgs. 1-12 n Redding, T., Todd, S., and Midlen, A. 1997. The treatment of aquaculture wastewaters-A botanical approach. Journal of Environmental Management. 50 pgs. 283-299. n Mississippi State University: http://www.msstate.edu/dept/crec/frcw95.html