Treating Municipal Sewage with Constructed Floating Wetlands in Brazeau Country, Alberta

Alberta’s Brazeau County wants to conduct a pilot study to assess the use of constructed floating wetlands (CFWs) to treat municipal sewage in waste stabilization ponds and improve the quality of wastewater before it is discharged into the environment. CFWs use aquatic-emergent plants growing on small artificial floating platforms to capture and remove contaminants and nutrients from water. This study is the second phase of a pilot project that started in 2019. The first phase provided Brazeau County with valuable information to improve the initial design and demonstrated the proof of concept of using CFWs to improve the quality of municipal sewage discharge. The results of this second-phase study will inform a full-scale implementation of a CFW within the waste stabilization ponds in Brazeau County. The study aims to evaluate the impacts of the following: increasing the size of the constructed floating wetland system, using a solar-powered aeration system to enhance biological treatment processes, integrating specialized medium-scale experiments, and enhancing performance-monitoring methods. These measures are expected to enable an accurate quantification of treatment- process performance and enhance the robustness of the study results. The pilot study is linked to several supporting plans and documents, specifically Brazeau County’s Climate Resilience Action Plan and Clean Energy Climate Action Policy. This application is eligible because it aims to meet or exceed provincial regulatory requirements. Innovative aspect(s): Brazeau County will be evaluating the performance of CFWs to determine their suitability for larger-scale water treatment in cold climates. If the study proves successful, CFWs could provide rural communities with significant environmental benefits at a lower cost to traditional solutions, such as constructing additional lagoon systems. Replicability: · This study could be replicated in other rural municipalities in colder climates that are looking for long-term, low-maintenance, and self-sustainable methods for enhancing domestic wastewater treatment · This study will be implemented in close collaboration with the University of Alberta; data and lessons learned will contribute to scientific articles produced by the research team Environmental benefits: · Improved wastewater quality discharged into the environment by reducing total suspended solids, dissolved nitrogen, phosphorus and CBOD (carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand) · Using a low-impact passive technology to improve wastewater quality Economic benefits: · If this technology proves successful, Brazeau County could avoid the capital costs associated with building additional lagoon systems Social benefits: · The application of floating wetlands will improve water quality in the North Saskatchewan River, which would reduce public health risks · The study will raise awareness on the impacts of climate change on wetland depletion, and the importance of wetlands and their functions in the ecosystem (Project description from original funding application)