In this study we compare the ability of nitrifying activated sludge (NAS) and nitrifying trickling filter (NTF) wastewater treatment to remove the following contaminants: acetaminophen, caffeine, 1,7-dimethylxanthine, cotinine, ibuprofen, sulfamethoxazole, triclosan, and trimethoprim. Removal of acetaminophen, cotinine and caffeine was greater than 99% and removal 1,7-dimethylxanthine, ibuprofen, and triclosan was greater than 90% using NAS and NTF treatment. Sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim were inadequately removed in both NAS and NTF treatments. The horizontal, subsurface flow treatment wetland showed removals of 45-89% for sulfamethoxazole and greater than 96% for trimethoprim. There was no statistical difference (P>0.05) between aeration, temperature and vegetation in the treatment wetland for the removal of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim.

Landfills are a major potential source of groundwater and surface-water contamination. The compounds that can leach from landfilled materials include dissolved organic matter, inorganic macrocomponents, heavy metals, and xebobiotic organic compounds. Landfill surface-water runoff poses a threat to the environment due to high mobility, but has not been rigorously characterized with regards to common pollutants found in landfills. It is well documented that constructed wetlands can serve as an effective treatment option for many pollutants found in landfills. The Napanee Landfill has constructed a wetland in order to treat surface-water runoff coming off the landfill. The objectives of this study were to: 1) characterize the water chemistry of surface-water runoff for an inactive landfill; 2) evaluate the treatment potential for the constructed wetland system at the Napanee Landfill; and, 3) recommend design, maintenance, and operative improvements to enhance effluent water quality. The analysis of the landfill surface-water runoff entering the Napanee Landfill constructed wetland included the pollutants nitrate, ammonia, sulphate, phosphorus, and chloride. The median inflow and outflow concentrations for all of the observed pollutants did not exceed Canadian federal or provincial water quality guidelines. There were sampling days where ammonia, phosphorus, and chloride exceeded guidelines at the inflow and days where ammonia and chloride exceeded guidelines at the outflow. The only pollutant that saw a statistically significant decrease in concentrations was sulphate, with a change of 38% from the inflow to the outflow. Other changes of note were nitrate and phosphorus concentrations increasing by 50% and 23% respectively from the inflow to the outflow. There are a variety of improvements that can be made to the Napanee Landfill constructed wetland that would increase the treatment efficiency of ammonia. Incorporating a vertical-flow wetland would increase available surface area for nitrifying bacteria growth and would provide more oxygen for nitrification processes; both would increase the potential for significant ammonia treatment. Overall, the concentrations of the pollutants found in the surface-water runoff coming off of the Napanee Landfill constructed wetland did not pose a significant threat to the environment at the time of sampling and treatment processes were only successful in reducing sulphate pollutant concentrations.

The application of natural tundra wetlands for municipal wastewater treatment is an option to meet upcoming federal wastewater systems effluent regulations for Canada’s Far North. A treatment performance assessment with physical, hydraulic and biogeochemical contextual data was conducted on the wetland treatment area of Coral Harbour, Nunavut. A modified Tanks-In-Series model was used to model treatment kinetics. The study showed seasonal variability in treatment performance and hydraulic characteristics. A decrease in vegetation diversity and deposition of organic detritus was observed in high effluent loading areas. Effective reduction in effluent concentrations was observed. Dilution from watershed contributions accounted for much of the reductions observed. The importance of the determination of the hydraulic residence time, field delineation of the wetted area, and delineation of the watershed was demonstrated. First order rate coefficients determined suggested that the selection of the lowest percentiles from literature of southern treatment wetlands is conservative in this case.

Landfills are a major potential source of groundwater and surface-water contamination. The compounds that can leach from landfilled materials include dissolved organic matter, inorganic macrocomponents, heavy metals, and xebobiotic organic compounds. Landfill surface-water runoff poses a threat to the environment due to high mobility, but has not been rigorously characterized with regards to common pollutants found in landfills. It is well documented that constructed wetlands can serve as an effective treatment option for many pollutants found in landfills. The Napanee Landfill has constructed a wetland in order to treat surface-water runoff coming off the landfill. The objectives of this study were to: 1) characterize the water chemistry of surface-water runoff for an inactive landfill; 2) evaluate the treatment potential for the constructed wetland system at the Napanee Landfill; and, 3) recommend design, maintenance, and operative improvements to enhance effluent water quality. The analysis of the landfill surface-water runoff entering the Napanee Landfill constructed wetland included the pollutants nitrate, ammonia, sulphate, phosphorus, and chloride. The median inflow and outflow concentrations for all of the observed pollutants did not exceed Canadian federal or provincial water quality guidelines. There were sampling days where ammonia, phosphorus, and chloride exceeded guidelines at the inflow and days where ammonia and chloride exceeded guidelines at the outflow. The only pollutant that saw a statistically significant decrease in concentrations was sulphate, with a change of 38% from the inflow to the outflow. Other changes of note were nitrate and phosphorus concentrations increasing by 50% and 23% respectively from the inflow to the outflow. There are a variety of improvements that can be made to the Napanee Landfill constructed wetland that would increase the treatment efficiency of ammonia. Incorporating a vertical-flow wetland would increase available surface area for nitrifying bacteria growth and would provide more oxygen for nitrification processes; both would increase the potential for significant ammonia treatment. Overall, the concentrations of the pollutants found in the surface-water runoff coming off of the Napanee Landfill constructed wetland did not pose a significant threat to the environment at the time of sampling and treatment processes were only successful in reducing sulphate pollutant concentrations.

Abstract This thesis examined hydrological processes such as snowmelt and groundwater discharge in drained peatland areas in the boreal zone. The studied processes were measured in situ using environmental tracers. Further, performance of a treatment wetland was studied during snowmelt and high flow. A GIS model was developed to estimate groundwater seepage areas in peatland systems surrounding eskers. It was found that soil frost had a clear impact on water quality during snowmelt. This was evident as lower suspended sediments, water colour and dissolved organic carbon concentrations, among other changes. The treatment wetland was found to reduce the suspended solids load during the snowmelt period and late autumn, while reductions in phosphorus and nitrogen loads occurred during summer. A sampling algorithm was built to test how different sampling frequencies affected the estimation of suspended solid loads from the constructed wetland. The results showed increasing uncertainty for sparser sampling (from weekly to monthly sampling), but the uncertainty remained high even at weekly sampling. The GIS model was tested on two eskers and shown to give a fair estimate of groundwater discharge locations. It can thus be used for improving aquifer protection in boreal eskers related to the drainage networks surrounding them. However, to be applied more widely, further efforts are required. The findings in this thesis could be used to develop better water management policies for peat extraction areas, or other industries operating in similar soils and climate. For example, meltwater could be allowed to temporarily bypass treatment facilities in areas with deep soil frost penetration. The wetland study showed that peatland-based wetlands are a suitable approach for improving water treatment performance even under variable hydraulic loads. The uncertainty in the estimated load from a small peat extraction catchment was high, which might limit the use of such data for some purposes. Load estimation methods using the concentration data collected during previous years might be able to reduce the uncertainty, but if the uncertainty needs to be lowered substantially use of sensor technology might be the only viable approach. / Tiivistelmä Tämä väitöskirja käsittelee lumensulannasta syntyvää valuntaa erilaisilla turvemailla ja pintavalutuskentän puhdistustehoa lumensulannan aikaan turvetuontantoalueella. Lisäksi työssä pohditaan miten erilainen näytteenottoohjelma vaikuttaa turvetuotantoalueilta arvioituun kiintoaine kuormitukseen ja kehitetään yleiseen paikkatietoaineistoon perustuva malli jolla on mahdollista ennustaa pohjaveden purkatumispaikkoja harjualueilla. Routaisella turvetuotantoalueelta kiintoaineen, värin ja liuenneen orgaanisen hiilen pitoisuudet olivat pieniä lumensulannan aikaan. Työssä seurattu pintavalutuskenttä vähensi kiintoainekuormitusta alapuoliseen vesistöön myös lumensulannan ja syksyn aikana. Ravinteiden osalta pintavalutuskentän toiminta oli parasta kesäaikaan, lumensulannan ja syksyn aikana havaittiin typen ja fosforin huuhtoutumista. Eri näytteenotto-ohjelmilla havaittiin olevan suuri vaikutus arvioituun kuormitukseen. Yleisesti voidaan sanoa epävarmuuden kasvavan kohti harvempaa näytteenotto väliä (viikoittainen-kuukausittainen), mutta, myös viikoittaisella näytteenotolla epävarmuus on huomattava. Kehitettyä paikka- tietomallia kokeiltiin kahdella harjulla jossa se pystyi antamaan suuntaa antavaa arvioita pohjaveden purkautumispaikoista. Työn tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää turvetuotannon tai muiden turvemailla tai niiden lähellä sijaitsevien teollisuuden vesistövaikutuksia arvioitaessa. Esimerkiksi routaisella turvemaalla voitaisiin harkita lumensulannasta aiheituvan valunnan ohijuoksutusta vesiensuojelurakenteista. Työssä todettiin myös pintavalutuskenttien toimivan vaihtelevan kuormituksen alaisena, sekä lumensulannan että syksyn aikaan. Arvioiduissa kuormituksissa erinäytteenottoväleillä havaitut suuret epävarmuudet saattavat rajoittaa laskelmien käyttöä joissakin tarkoituksissa. Epävarmuutta voidaan vähentää käyttämällä hyväksi edellisinä vuosina tehtyjä vedenlaatumittauksia. Luotettavin tapa epävarmuuden vähentämiseksi on jatkuvatoimisten vedenlaatumittareiden käyttäminen.

Stormwater runoff from developed land is a source of pollution and excessive flow to waterways. The most commonly employed practices for flow and volume control are stormwater ponds and basins (also referred to as detention and retention ponds). These structures can be effective at controlling peak discharge to water bodies by managing flow timing but are often ineffective at removing nutrients, particularly in dissolved forms. Pond morphology coupled with place-specific characteristics (like soil type and drainage area characteristics) may influence plant community composition in these water bodies. The interaction of physical, chemical, and biological elements in stormwater ponds may affect their water quality performance in more significant ways than previously understood. Floating treatment wetlands (FTW) are floating rafts of vegetation that can be constructed using a variety of materials and are an emerging technology aimed at improving the pollutant removal and temperature control functions of stormwater ponds. Previous studies with field research in subtropical and semiarid climatic regions found incremental nutrient removal improvement correlated with FTW coverage of pond surface area. However, data on their performance in cold climates is lacking from the literature. This dissertation presents data from a three-year study examining the performance of FTW on stormwater pond treatment potential in cold climate conditions and optimal vegetation selection based on biomass production, phosphorus (P) uptake, and root architectural characteristics that enhance entrapment functionality. To put the FTW pond performance data into context, results from a survey of seven permitted stormwater ponds in Chittenden County, Vermont and the ponds' associated variability in influential internal and external dynamics are also discussed. Pond morphology, drainage area land use, soil types, and biological communities are analyzed for correlative relationships to identify design factors that affect pond performance but are not controlled factors in stormwater system permitting.

A water treatment unit consisting of two aeration basins, two settling tanks, a residence basinand a horizontal subsurface flow wetland were used to treat wastewater from an eggprocessing factory in Brazil. The aim of this paper was to determine the efficiency of thesystem in reducing nitrogen, phosphorus, BOD5 and TSS (among other parameters) andgetting a further understanding on different kinds of constructed treatment wetlands as well astheir nitrogen and phosphorus removal processes. The wastewater from the factory consistedof process water from manufacturing and water used for cleaning, no stormwater or sewagewater entered the system. Tests were taken three times a month from October 2013 ‘til April2014. The mean influent concentrations from wastewater directly from the factory were2,606 mg/L, 46.60 mg/L, 318.3 mg/L and 1,112 mg/L for BOD5, TP, TKN and TSS. Themean results of reduction through the wetlands gave the following results; BOD5 42 ± 351%,TP 66 ± 9.7%, TN 42 ± 13% and TS -11 ± 30%. Compared to other wetland systems treatingsimilar wastewater the reduction of BOD5 and TSS is low. Recommended solutions toincrease the reduction in the wetland are presented in the discussion. / Processvatten från livsmedelsindustrier och anläggningar med animalieproduktion har högakoncentrationer av organiskt material, suspenderat material och närsalter (Kadlec & Wallace,2008). Förr släpptes mycket processvattnet direkt ut till närliggande dammar, floder ellerbäckar. I moderna tider finns riktvärden satta från till exempel svenska Naturvårdsverket och det brasilianska miljödepartementet, CONSEMA, som gör att processvattnet måste förbehandlas innan det kan släppas till recipienten. Våtmarker har visat sig vara ett bra val av reningsmetod när det kommer till rening av bland annat kväve, fosfor, BOD5 och TSS(Camino et al., 2011; Johansson, 2014; Knight et al., 2000; Lin et al., 2005; Mantovi et al.,2003). De olika typer av anlagda våtmarker har för- och nackdelar, till exempel har vissa typer en högre nitrifikationsprocess och andra har en högre denitrifikationsprocess. Genom attkänna till vilka för- och nackdelar de olika typer av anlagda våtmarker har går det att skräddarsy ett behandlingssystem som uppfyller de specifika reningsändamålen för just det processvattnet. Syftet med detta arbete är att avgöra hur pass effektiv NaturOvos våtmarkreducerar föroreningar, att får en bättre förståelse av olika typer av anlagda våtmarker samt deras kväve- och fosforreningsprocesser. NaturOvos äggfabrik ligger i Salvador do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasilien. Under juni år 2013 byggdes en horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF) våtmark för att öka kväve- och fosforrening av processvattnet från fabriken. Behandlingssystemet består av en aktivslamanläggning bestående av två luftningsbassänger och två sedimenteringstankar, en uppehållsbassäng och en HSSF våtmark. Recipienten är en närliggande damm. Behandlingsvattnet som renas genom systemet innehåller processvatten och vatten som används vidrengöring av fabriken. Obehandlat vatten direkt från fabriken har ett medelvärde på2 606 mg/l för BOD5, 46,60 mg/l för TP, 318,3 mg/l för TKN och 1 112 mg/l för TSS. Provtagning av inflödes- och utflödesvatten har skett tre gånger per månad från oktober 2013 till april 2014. Medelvärdesresultat av retention i våtmarken är följande; BOD5 42 ± 351 %,TP 66 ± 9,7 %, TN 42 ± 13 % och TS -11 ± 30 %. Jämfört med andra studier (Camino et al.,2011; Johansson, 2014; Knight et al., 2000; Lin et al., 2005; Mantovi et al., 2003) är retentionav kväve och fosfor hög, men retentionen av BOD5 och TS är låg. Förbättringsförslag för att öka reningen i våtmarken redovisas i diskussionen.

Abstract Treatment wetlands (TW) constructed on natural wetlands potentially perform efficient purification of wastewater, but the longevity of TWs at northern latitudes is not well known. This thesis examined processes affecting nutrient and suspended solids (SS) retention in TWs during their lifetime. In total, 15 TWs were studied using water and peat quality and gas flux data for different TW life lengths, the longest period being 18 years. The TWs commonly retained nutrients and suspended solids efficiently, even after 18 years of wastewater loading. For nitrogen (N) removal, sedimentation, nitrification-denitrification and plant uptake were efficient processes in the wetlands studied. However, emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) from TWs are not a major contributor to climate change due to the small total surface area of TWs. The significance of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) and other newly discovered nitrogen processes in TWs remains to be clarified. Phosphorus (P) adsorption capacity in TWs remained efficient over a 12-year study period, the process being continuous when surfaces for adsorption were available or freed up through alternating absorption/desorption/adsorption. Phosphorus accumulation by peat accretion was low, but has not been well assessed in northern TWs receiving nutrient-rich waters. Iron (Fe) and aluminium (Al) in peat extraction runoff and purified wastewater from sewage treatment plants were of great importance for precipitation of P in TWs. Filtration and sedimentation of organic humic substances with Fe- or Al-bound P were other probable P retention pathways. In peat extraction runoff, Fe was more significant than Al for P retention, but Fe-bound P is susceptible to desorption in anaerobic environments, whereas Al-bound P is more strongly retained. Suspended solids were generally retained well, although there was great variation in percentage retention in individual TWs in different years and different seasons. Changes in discharge affected SS transportation and retention. SS were retained by sedimentation, the rate of which was affected by particle size. It is plausible that smaller particles from old peat extraction areas where the extracted peat has a high humification degree erode more easily than poorly humified particles in surface peat. Weakened SS retention may also have been caused by development of preferential flow areas (PFA) in TWs, changes in sediment delivery characteristics and sampling involving too few samples to show SS transportation sufficiently accurately for estimating SS retention. Thus TWs are potentially ideal for purification of wastewater and can have high purification efficiency even after long-term use in northern regions. They are also more widely applicable as long as their limitations are understood. / Tiivistelmä Kosteikkopuhdistamot, jotka on rakennettu luonnonkosteikoille, voivat tehokkaasti vähentää erilaisten maankäyttömuotojen ja pistekuormituslähteiden vesistökuormitusta. Niiden käyttöikää pohjoisilla alueilla ei kuitenkaan tunneta hyvin. Tässä väitöskirjassa tarkastellaan kosteikkopuhdistamoissa tapahtuvia biologisia, kemiallisia ja fysikaalisia prosesseja, joilla on vaikutusta ravinteiden ja kiintoaineen pidättymiseen. Yhteensä 15 eri-ikäisen kosteikkopuhdistamon toimintaa tutkittiin veden ja turpeen laadun sekä kasvihuonekaasumittausten avulla. Näistä vanhinta kosteikkoa oli tutkimusta tehdessä käytetty 18 vuotta turvetuotannon valumavesien puhdistukseen. Tyypillisesti kosteikkopuhdistamot pidättivät ravinteita ja kiintoaineita tehokkaasti jopa 18 vuoden käytön jälkeen. Typenpoistossa sedimentaatio, nitrifikaatio-denitrifikaatio ja kasvien ravinteidenotto olivat tutkituilla kosteikoilla tehokkaita prosesseja. Kosteikkopuhdistamoiden typpioksiduulipäästöt (N2O) ilmaan eivät kuitenkaan ole merkittäviä ilmastonmuutoksen aiheuttajia, koska tällaisten kosteikkopuhdistamoiden kokonaispinta-ala on pieni. Anammox- (anaerobic ammonium oxidation) ja muiden viimeaikoina muissa tutkimuksissa havaittujen typpiprosessien merkitys kosteikoilla tulisi vielä selvittää. Fosforin adsorptiokyky kosteikkopuhdistamoilla pysyi tehokkaana 12 vuoden tutkimusjaksolla, koska niissä adsorptiopintoja oli joko vapaana tai niitä vapautui absorptio- ja desorptioprosessien seurauksena. Kosteikkopuhdistamolla fosforin kertyminen turpeen muodostuksessa arvioitiin vähäiseksi, tosin kertymistä ei ole tarkkaan määritetty pohjoisilla kosteikkopuhdistamoilla, joihin tulee ravinteikasta vettä. Turvetuotannon valumavesissä ja jätevedenpuhdistamoilta tulleissa vesissä orgaanisten humusaineiden rautaan ja alumiiniin sitoutuneen fosforin suodattuminen ja sedimentoituminen olivat muita todennäköisiä fosforin pidättymismekanismeja kosteikoilla. Turvetuotannon valumavesissä rauta oli alumiinia merkittävämpi tekijä fosforin pidättymisessä. Rautaan sitoutunut fosfori on kuitenkin altis desorptiolle hapettomissa olosuhteissa, kun taas alumiiniin sitoutunut fosfori pidättyy pysyvämmin. Kiintoaines pidättyi kosteikkopuhdistamoissa yleensä hyvin, vaikka pidättyneen aineen osuudessa kokonaiskuormituksesta oli suurta vaihtelua yksittäisissä kosteikkopuhdistamoissa eri vuosina ja eri vuodenaikoina. Muutokset virtaamissa vaikuttivat kiintoaineksen kulkeutumiseen ja pidättymiseen. Kiintoaines pidättyy sedimentaatiossa, jonka suuruuteen vaikuttaa kiintoaineen partikkelikoko. On todennäköistä, että vanhojen turvetuotantoalueiden korkean humusasteen pienikokoiset turvepartikkelit erodoituvat helpommin kuin pintaturpeen vähemmän hajonneet partikkelit. Heikentynyt kiintoaineen pidättyminen saattaa aiheutua myös kosteikkopuhdistamoiden oikovirtauksien kehittymisestä, muutoksista sedimentin kulkeutumistavoissa ja liian harvoista näytteenotoista, jolloin ei pystytä riittävän tarkasti arvioimaan kiintoaineksen pidättymistä. Kosteikkopuhdistamot voivat olla ideaalisia jätevesien puhdistamiseen ja ovat osoittaneet hyvää puhdistustehokkuutta myös pitkäaikaisessa käytössä pohjoisissa olosuhteissa. Siten ne ovat laajasti sovellettavissa, kunhan niiden käyttömahdollisuuksien rajoitteet on otettu huomioon.

The subject of this master thesis is a 300 EP wastewater treatment wetland proposal in Uhřice village. Wetland was designated as the most reasonable available technology for Uhřice village - the selection of a water treating process was preceded by an assessment of the investment plan, achievable results, and service requirement. The introduction part is focused on the area of interests, its basic information and describes the individual object proposal. Object proposal consists of input parametres for dimensioning individual objects and detailed calculations. Part of the thesis includes drawing documentary of individual objects and the complete wastewater treatment wetland as a complex area. The design of the solution is based on the knowledge gained during the bachelor thesis, on research and operational objects that are already designed and on which the Institute of Landscape Water Management in cooperation with the spin-off BUT, Conwe s.r.o. This master thesis will be used as a background for the individual stages of project management in the Uhřice village.

The work deals with the practical design of constructed treatment wetlands for Kurovice. The proposed treatment wetlands have an estimated size of 300 EO. For the design were used the most modern technologies available. The whole diploma thesis is divided into a theoretical search and practical design. At the beginning, there is a description of the target area and is followed by the proposal of individual facilities. In the conclusion of the theoretical part, the efficiency of the constructed treatment wetlands is compared with the legislation. The practical part consists of the design of constructed treatment wetlands. The design was focused on the technologies used and the spatial arrangement of individual buildings based on the atypical shape of the land. The whole proposal is made to such an extent that it can serve for subsequent use as project documentation for land management and building permits.