ABSTRACT
This chapter provides details of the application of constructed wetlands to treat wastewaters in Australia. Constructed wetlands or reed beds offer a potentially low-cost and low-maintenance biological method of wastewater treatment. Considerable care is needed in applying wetland technology to treat industrial wastewaters because of the wide variety of wastewater types that can exist. The ability of such systems to break down defined “toxic organic pollutants” opens a broad field of future applications for difficult industrial wastewaters. A series of constructed wetlands have been established at Frankston, and a research program funded by the Momington Peninsula and District Water Board has been carried out. A submersible outlet pump connected to an adjustable electronic level controller enabled the level of the water in the bed to be controlled accurately and, for most of the time, the water was kept a few centimeters the surface.
