How Constructed Wetlands Clean Wastewater –And Attract Wildlife

FEATURING BRYN NELSON - Waste water–the water that drains down our sinks and showers and flushes down our toilets–is traditionally treated by sewage treatment plants before it can be reused. But such plants are expensive. 

There is now growing awareness of a cheaper, more environmentally sustainable option to treat wastewater and that is to mimic how nature has always done it: through wetlands. Wetlands are considered to be the kidneys of an ecosystem, filtering and processing waste. It turns out constructed wetlands can work as well as natural ones and, when properly managed, can even be a tourist attraction.