Pilot scale constructed wetlands for Arctic communities

The purpose of this research is to assess the performance of constructed wetland technology in the treatment of municipal wastewater in Arctic conditions with the goal of providing a validated design that can be used by communities and providers of municipal wastewater treatment. We are achieving this overall project purpose by: 1)Consulting with community members, Inuit organizations, and all levels of government to determine needs and limitations; 2)Characterizing existing wastewater treatment facilities particularly existing natural unengineered wetland systems; 3)Building controlled pilot systems to assess performance and test a theoretical model; 4)Conducting experiments in a new environmental chamber; 5)Calibrating and validating an ecological wetland model designed by Prof. Sven Erik Jorgensen in partnership with the UNEP International Environmental Technology Centre (UNEP-IETC): the software SubWet 2.0 has been upgraded to enable its use in cold climate communities; 6)Providing training to graduate students, technicians, and community members and wastewater operators. Through a partnership with the UNEP, the results of this research can be applied in all cold climate countries, particularly developing countries where the UNEP focuses development activities.