Treating Municipal Wastewater Using Constructed Wetlands

Treating Municipal Wastewater Using Constructed Wetlands

Course Outline

This 12-hour course provides valuable information for those individuals who design, install and operate an wastewater treatment systems and are looking for an aesthetically appealing treatment alternative. Completion of this course will provide the student the necessary information and testing to meet the continuing education requirements. It was designed by an instructor who has developed and implemented numerous similar training courses.

This course is entirely based on the US EPA's Manual, "Constructed Wetlands Treatment of Municipal Wastewaters", EPA/625/R-99/010, September 2000.

This course requires the completion of a multiple-choice quiz at its conclusion in order to obtain the necessary certification for the individuals who are seeking to renew their license to design and install OWTSs.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will be able to:

Understand what a constructed wetland is;
Understand common misconceptions regarding constructed wetlands;
Understand the types of pollutants best treated by a constructed wetland;
Understand the history of constructed wetlands;
Understand the number and types of constructed wetlands;
Understand the two types of constructed wetlands;
Understand how to manage a constructed wetland;
Understand what agencies regulate constructed wetlands;
Understand the ecology of a constructed wetland;
Understand the botany of a constructed wetland;
Understand the fauna of a constructed wetland;
Understand suspended solids separations and transformations in a constructed wetland;
Understand organic matter separations and transformations in a constructed wetland;
Understand nitrogen separations and transformations in a constructed wetland;
Understand phosphorous separations and transformations in a constructed wetland;
Understand pathogen separations and transformations in a constructed wetland;
Understand how to design a free water surface (FWS) constructed wetland;
Understand how to design a vegetated submerged bed (VSB) constructed wetland;
Understand the components of a FWS;
Understand the components of a VSB;
Understand the benefits of a constructed wetlands;
Understand the costs of a constructed wetland;
Understand the removal mechanisms of a constructed wetland;
Understand the modeling performance of a constructed wetland;
Understand performance expectations of a FWS system;
Understand FWS wetland hydrology;
Understand FWS hydraulics;
Understand the sizing rationale for a FWS system;
Understand engineering and construction issues associated with a FWS system;
Understand the theoretical considerations associated with a VSB system;
Understand VSB hydrology;
Understand the use of a VSB in an onsite system;
Understand alternative VSB systems;
Understand construction considerations associated with a constructed wetland;
Understand start up considerations;
Understand operation and maintenance considerations;
Understand monitoring considerations; and
Understand the typical construction costs.

Intended Audience

The intended audience for this course is any professional who is involved in the design, regulation, installation, operation or maintenance of wastewater treatment systems, and looking for an alternative to conventional treatment systems.

Benefit to Attendees

Attendees of this course will understand how to select, design, install or operate and maintain an onsite wastewater treatment system. This program will greatly reduce the learning curve for any professional interested in an OWTS.

Course Introduction

There are a huge variety of treatment processes that can treat municipal wastewater. One recently promoted process is the use of constructed wetlands to provide secondary treatment. Constructed wetlands can also provide nitrogen and phosphorous polishing. Constructed wetlands are most appropriate for us by small communities where low operating and maintenance requirements are of importance. This course uses the US EPA's Manual, "Constructed Wetlands Treatment of Municipal Wastewaters", EPA/625/R-99/010, September 2000 as the textbook.

Course Content

The associated course materials are contained in an Adobe Acrobat copy of the

US EPA's Manual, "Constructed Wetlands Treatment of Municipal Wastewaters", EPA/625/R-99/010, September 2000:

Constructed Wetlands Treatment of Municipal Wastewaters EPA/625/R-99/010 (PDF file, 166 pages, 1.7 MB)

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Course Summary

This course discusses the elements of a constructed wetland, how to determine when one is appropriate, which type is most appropriate, how to design a constructed wetlands, and expected capital and O&M costs of a constructed wetland.

Related Links

For additional information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

US Environmental Protection Agency

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.