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Using a Private Wetlands Effluent Disposal System as a Component of Alternative Septic Systems for Difficult Sites
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• Designs for private wetlands for septic system effluent treatment
• What are wetlands, how are they used with septic systems?

This document discusses use of private wetlands for residential onsite wastewater treatment. Wetlands used in this manner are natural systems for polishing or recycling septic effluent include public and private wetlands, greenhouses, and other systems. The photograph at above left shows a constructed wetlands in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato Mexico. This wetlands forms a portions of a wetlands ecosystem which treats septic effluent from a local community and provides fresh water to botanical gardens. Citation of this article by reference to this website and brief quotation for the sole purpose of review are permitted. Use of this information at other websites, in books or pamphlets for sale is reserved to the author. Technical review by industry experts has been performed and is ongoing - reviewers welcomed and are listed at "References." © Copyright 2008 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

Wetland Septic Systems or "natural" septic systems use a constructed wetlands area (or a greenhouse) to treat septic efflent. These systems are more common in Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Dakota, and Florida where both municipal wetland septic designs and private homeowner wetland septic system designs are in use.

"Wetlands" may include both visible water such as open ponds, and underground water located in constructed beds which are covered with soil. Typically these systems are used as a final "polishing" step to treat effluent which has been processed in an aerobic treatment unit (ATU) or effluent which has been processed by a media filtration unit.

Wetlands septic effluent disposal systems usually require a large area and are not easily adjusted to accomodate variations in the level of system usage, such as a sudden increase in the occupancy of the site. However these systems also use less electricity or other energy source than pumping, dosing, and similar efflent handlers.

A more sophisticated (and costly) alternative to an open wetlands for treatment of effluent is the use of a greenhouse system which encloses the wetland treatment facility and provides a more controlled environment.

A greenhouse septic effluent system discharges effluent into the atmosphere in the form of humidity, similar to evaporation systems. Jantrania (op.cit.) describes greenhouse systems which use UV light for final disinfection of effluent which is then recycled to flush toilets.

More Information on Wetlands & on Septic System Diagnosis, Maintenance, & Repair,

More Information on Septic System Diagnosis, Maintenance, & Repair

• The Septic System Information Website home page for this topic
• Septic Systems Inspection, Testing, & Maintenance- online textbook. Detailed how to inspect, maintain, repair information
• The Home Buyer's Guide to Septic Systems
• Septic Tank Pumping Guide: When, Why, How to pump the septic tank
• Home & Outdoor Living Water Requirements
• Septic Tank Capacity vs Usage in Daily Gallons of Wastewater Flow, calculating required septic tank size, calculating septic tank volume from size measurements
• How Big Should the Leach Field Be? - table of soil percolation rate vs. field size
• Septic System Drainfield Absorption System Biomat Formation - what leads to drain field clogging and expensive drainfield repairs
• Table of Required Septic & Well Clearances: Distances Between Septic System & Wells, Streams, Trees, etc.
• Wetlands: Society of Wetland Scientists research in wetlands preservation, restoration, use

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