Cypress Wetlands for Tertiary Treatment

摘要

Cypress domes, circular saucer-shaped cypress swamps, were used in the treatment of domestic waste water. The process was investigated in four cypress domes near the University of Florida's Center for Wetlands, near Gainesville. Two cypress domes functioned as tertiary mechanisms, receiving effluent from a small secondary sewage treatment plant, while a third dome received fresh ground water and a fourth was left undisturbed as a control. Treated waste water was applied to the center of the domes, taken up by the vegetation, and filtered by the organic layer before reaching the ground water with essentially all nutrients, heavy metals, and intestinal bacteria removed. The treated effluent was well within acceptable standards, and the ground water continued to meet Federal drinking water standards. Cost analysis for one plant indicated that wetlands treated would cost half as much as spray irrigation, and approximately a third as much as a physical and chemical treatment facility.