Utilities
Saltmarsh treatment wetlands
Engineered reed-bed polishing that returns treated effluent to a protected river system.
Location
Zeeland, NL
Completed
2023
Sector
Utilities
Scope
Water reuse
14 ha
Constructed wetland*
−63%
Nutrient load to river*
+38
Bird species recorded*
Demo project · * illustrative figures
The challenge
A small works discharging to a protected estuary faced new nutrient limits that a conventional upgrade could not meet economically.
Our approach
We designed 14 hectares of engineered wetland cells with controlled hydraulics downstream of the existing works, monitored continuously at inlet and outlet.
The outcome
Nutrient loads to the river more than halved, and the site has become a habitat in its own right.
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