Multi-Year N and P Removal of a 10-Year-Old Surface Flow Constructed Wetland Treating Agricultural Drainage Waters

Surface flow constructed wetlands (SFCWs) can be effectively used to treat agricultural drainage waters, reducing N and P surface water pollution. In the Venice Lagoon drainage basin (northeastern Italy), an SFCW was monitored during 2007–2013 to assess its performance in reducing water, N, and P lo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAgronomy (Basel) Vol. 9; no. 4; p. 170
Main Authors Tolomio, Massimo, Dal Ferro, Nicola, Borin, Maurizio
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 29.03.2019
Subjects
Artificial wetlands
Corn
Drainage
Drainage basins
Environmental protection
fluctuating hydroperiod
Groundwater
Hydraulic loading
Lagoons
Leaching
Nitrogen
nonpoint-source pollution
Outlets
Phosphorus
Polyvinyl chloride
Radiation
removal efficiency
Surface flow
Surface water
surface water treatment
Water pollution
Water storage
Wetland agriculture
Wetlands
Italy
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Summary:Surface flow constructed wetlands (SFCWs) can be effectively used to treat agricultural drainage waters, reducing N and P surface water pollution. In the Venice Lagoon drainage basin (northeastern Italy), an SFCW was monitored during 2007–2013 to assess its performance in reducing water, N, and P loads more than 10 years after its creation. Nitrogen concentrations showed peaks during winter due to intense leaching from surrounding fields. Phosphorus concentrations were higher after prolonged periods with no discharge, likely due to mobilization of P of the decomposing litter inside the basin. Over the entire period, N removal efficiency was 83% for NO3–N and 79% for total N; P removal efficiency was 48% for PO4–P and 67% for total P. Values were higher than in several other studies, likely due to the fluctuating hydroperiod that produced discontinuous and reduced outflows. Nitrogen outlet concentrations were reduced by the SFCW, and N removal ratios decreased with increasing hydraulic loading, while no strong correlations were found in the case of P. The SFCW was shown to be an effective long-term strategy to increase water storage and reduce N and P loads in the Venice Lagoon drainage basin.
ISSN:2073-4395
2073-4395
DOI:10.3390/agronomy9040170