ABSTRACT
Constructed wetland systems have been shown to successfully treat municipal, industrial, and agricultural effluents (Cooper et al., 1996). They are now increasingly being used to treat urban runoff, and several studies have shown that pollutant removal rates are sufficiently high to allow discharge of runoff into receiving waters. There are currently no established design and performance criteria for constructed wetlands for the treatment of urban and highway runoff. This study assesses the removal of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn by a full-scale constructed wetland and its potential for treatment as the system becomes more established and metal loadings discharging into the system increase as the residential development is completed.
