Natural processes have always cleansed water as it flowed through rivers, lakes, streams,
and wetlands. In the last several decades, systems have been constructed to use some of
these processes for water quality improvement.
This Handbook has been prepared as a general guide to the design, construction, operation,
and maintenance of constructed wetlands for the treatment of domestic wastewater, agricultural
wastewater, coal mine drainage, and stormwater runoff in the mid-Atlantic region,
The Handbook is not a design manual. The use of constructed wetlands to improve water quality
is a developing technology. Much is not yet understood, and questions remain regarding the
optimal design of wetland systems and their longevity. As our experience with these systems
increases, the information offered here will be replaced by more refined information. The
Handbook should be used with this clearly in mind.
The Handbook is divided into five volumes. This, the first, provides information common to
all types of constructed wetlands for wastewater and runoff. It is to be used in conjunction with
an accompanying volume that provides information specific to a particular type of wastewater or
runoff. The other volumes in the series are Volume 2: Domestic Wastewater, Volume 3:
Agricultural Wastewater, Volume 4: Coal Mine Drainage, and Volume 5: Stormwater Runoff.
While constructed wetlands are being used to treat other kinds of wastewater, such as industrial
wastewaters, a discussion of these applications is beyond the scope of this Handbook.
However, the information presented here may be useful in developing other applications.