A SOLUTION ...

Subsurface wetland systems are long-term ecological solutions. Wastewater Gardens systems become more effective at wastewater treatment as the plants grow and establish, compared with mechanical systems which become less effective as machinery ages. After a cycle of 15-20 ans, gravel and plants may need to be renewed in order to provide again proper sanitation for another cycle of decades.

WWG systems are low-cost and long-lived (20 years +) provided simple maintenance procedures are followed.

Although construction costs depend on country and design, WWG systems are generally less expensive to build than conventional chemical or mechanical sewage treatments and always dramatically lower in their running costs: 5 to 10% of ordinary maintenance and operating costs, since minimal or no machinery is used.

Constructed wetlands systems are capable of extremely high rates of wastewater cleaning without the use of expensive, environmentally harmful chemicals like chlorine nor electrical energy (although the use of pumps is sometimes required). In research over the past several decades, this type of system, even in its more primitive design forms, has a well-documented track record of consistently cleaning water to levels better than municipal standards for wastewater treatment.

There are no odors as the sewage is kept from contact with the air.

There is no mosquito breeding nor other nuisances associated with open wastewater systems, such as sewage lagoons or surface-flow wetlands. The possibility of accidental contact with the sewage is also eliminated (reduced to someone deliberately digging into the wetland gravel).

WWG systems can be custom designed, from small units for a single residence to larger areas for industry or city/town systems; constructed wetlands treatment systems have been built for towns with populations from 10,000-20,000 people to treat millions of liters of wastewater daily. No surplus capacity needs be accounted for as new demands can easily be met by WWG unit expansion as amount of sewage generated increases (lower initial investment cost).

While WWG systems can provide a considerable economy in water being specifically dedicated to landscaping, they add considerably to the landscape beauty where they are used; hotel and house owners with wetland treatment systems have some of the most beautiful gardens in their area. They can as well include plants to be harvested for useful or saleable products.