A READING LIST: --------------- Aquaculture: The Farming and Husbandry of Freshwater and Marine Organisms John E. Bardach Aquaculture Training Manual By Donald Swift A practical guide for those new to fish farming. Aquatic Plants for Water Treatment Resources By Recovery Reddy Smith, 1987 Aquifer Restoration State of the Art  (Pollution Technology Review, No 131) R.C. Knox, et al 1986 Basic Ground Water Hydrology By R. Heath Constructed Wetlands for Waste Water Treatment: Municipal, Industrial and Agricultural By Donald Hammner 1989 Construction of Small Earth Dams By Nelson (Australian) Dynamic Aquaria: Building Living Ecosystems By Walter H. Adey, Karen Loveland This book presents scientifically sound information for a growing new area of science--the construction of living ecosystems. Ecological Engineering for Wastewater Treatment By C. Etnier and B. Gutterstam Freshwater Aquaculture: A Handbook for Small Scale Fish Culture in North America By William McLarney The Aquaculturalist's bible for the novice and professional, covering all freshwater species and how best to raise them. Includes pond construction and repair, water quality and chemistry, breeding, fertilization, shipment, diseases, marketing, legal restrictions, and integration with plants and farm life. Financial costing has been updated. The best published handbook in the field. - American Scientist. Ground Water Hydrology By David K. Todd Ground Water Quality Protection By Larry W. Canter, 1987 Handbook of Gravity Flow Water Systems By Thomas Jordan Intermediate Tech. Development Group Avail. Wild Woman Press NYC Home Water Supply: How to Find, Filter, Store, and Conserve It By Stu Campbell 1983 Humanure Handbook: A Guide to Composting Human Manure By J.D. Jenkins This may be the start of a Big Movement Limnology By Goldman and Horne Living Water By Olaf Alexanderson Practical Handbook of Ground Water Monitoring By David Nielsen, 1991 Principals of Aquaculture By Robert R. Stickney Rainwater Collection for the Mechanically-Challenged By Suzy Banks with Richard Heinichen, 46 pp Tank Town Publishing Dripping Springs, TX, 1997. Residential Wastewater Systems By NAHB Staff, 1980 Sensitive Chaos: The Creation of Flowing Forms in Water and Air By Thoedore Schwenk, J. Collins Simple Methods for Aquaculture: Pond Construction for Freshwater Fish Culture (training Series No 20-2) By A.G. Coche The Toilet Papers : Recycling Waste and Conserving Water By Sim Van der Ryn and Wendell Berry With a forward By Wendell Berry, this classic book from the 1970's is back in print. The history of how humans have dealt with their own waste is handled with intelligence and wit, and the book provides up-to-date plans for the do-it-yourself on water-saving systems, composting privies, and practical gray-water systems. The Water Encyclopedia By Frits van Der Leeden, Fred L. Troise, David Keith Todd As in the first edition (1970), the subject matter has been broadly interpreted to include climates, hydrology, surface and ground water, water use and management, water resource agencies, and legislation.  Sources are cited, but there is no bibliography. Water: Element of Life By Theodore Schwenk Water for Every Farm By P.A. Yeoman Watershed Hydrology By Peter Black, 1991 We All Live Downstream: A Guide to Waste Treatment That Stops Water Pollution By Costner, et al. Living Machines --------------- [from an old archive] The Coalition for a Green Economic Recovery will hold a conference October 1 to 3, l993 to discuss and promote the economic andenvironmental advantages of living machines. Living machines are, simplistically, engineered water ecosystems which use natural elements such as sunlight, plants and animals to break down toxins, concentrate metals and treat organic material in sewage and waste water. Living machines can be part of clean, simple, economical and environmentally viable solutions to a number of problems. They offer less costly alternatives for municipalities planning to spend billions of taxpayers; dollars on expansions and new sewage and water treatment systems. They do not use chlorine. Reply-To: "Myk Rushton" From: "Myk Rushton" To: Subject: Constructed Wetlands/Reedbeds Revision notes Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 19:58:48 +1300 Organization: Ecotech Culture [Start...] Ecotechnolgy Revision notes. General notes, abstracts, straight from books/reports, others. No refs. Constructed Wetlands/Reedbeds (UK) ========================= 06 october 96 Definition: A constructed wetland/reedbed (CW/R) is a designed and man made complex of saturated substrates, emergent and submergent vegetation, animallife, and water that simulates natural wetlands for human use and benefit. (Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment: Municipal, industrial, agriculture, 1989, D.Hammer. Ed.) In schematic form CW/R's are man made inclined floor beds (1-8%) filled with a porous matrix in which rooted aquatic plants and microbial activity are used as a method of effluent treatment [Snip - Figure 1.] Schematic image showing: rooted aquatic plants; litter layer, thermal insulation; inlet pipe, dispersed flow, inlet cambian, crushed stones - biofilm layer; slope 1-8%; porous matrix (substrate), Hydraulic conductivity (HC), gravel > HC, soil < HC, Impervious liner, can be puddled, Roots and rhizomes, only large during summer, die back during winter (temperate). The Germans, major investors in CW/R over the last 30 yrs both R&D, have/had the greatest number of CW/R often very small ones for treating leachate, domestic waste from individual houses or attached to farms. The US also has CW/R systems particularly the southern states (Florida) where they have a longer growing season. The plant root systems are active for a longer period of the year. In the UK there are @400 CW/R with two of the major nine water authorities, Severn Trent, Yorkshire Water (which has some very simple systems) being the major players. Other water authorities have tried in the past to build and run CW/R with little success and no further investment. The majority of CW/R are used in secondary and tertiary treatment of sewage effluent and are generally added to conventional systems. However, they are also being used to treat highway/carpark runoff before it reaches storm drains. In the UK CW/R are known as reedbeds because of the common name of the aquatic plants used i.e Reed mace, /Typha ltifolia/ Effluent suitable for treatment by CW/R ============================== *Domestic waste water * Animal slurry *Silage liqueur *Leachate *Urban run off *Pretreatment of water entering sensitive areas. Plants. ===== There are two main species of plant generally used in CW/R systems in the UK. Typhacaea /Typha latifolia/. Tall (max 2.0M), stout, Agressicely creepting perennial. Leaves, long, flat, greyish. 10-20mm wide. Flowers in two tight contiguous spikes, 10-15mm long, the straw coloured male immediately abut the much stouter chocolate brown, sausage shaped female, Jul-Aug. /Typha angustifolia/. Slender than /T, Latifolia/ and differing in its narrower leaves 5mm wide, and the male and female spikes being well apart. Typha spp. Are found extensively in the northern hemisphere and south towards the equator. Grimineae /Phragmites australis/. A common, v.tall, stout, coarse perennial, forming extensive beds with its creeping rootstock. Leaves greyish, smooth-edged to 50cm wide, collapsing in winter. Lingule a line of hairs. Inflorescence a spreading panicle. The numerous unawned, usually dark purple spikelets with 2-10 florets and long silky hairs along the axis. Flowering Aug-Oct/ New shoots arising from rhizomes Phragmites spp. Are very wide spread throughout the world and the most commonly used in CW/R systems. Plant selection =========== *The aquatic plants used fulfil several requirements adaptable to local climate *High photosynthetic rate and biomass *High oxygen transport ability *Tolerance of pollution *Pollutant assimilative capacity. If not in the plant tissue. around or in the root structure *Resistance to pests and disease *Easy of management *Planting density? Characteristics ============ * Inlet pipe allows even distribution of effluent across width of bed i.e. gutter type construction, rate of flow v.slow. * Inlet filled with crushed rocks (forming cambion), 60-150mm dia, which act as a large filter absorbing large solids. Effluent travels down, assisted by gravity, and across the inlet further into the system. Eventually, after construction, a biofilm of bacteria and fungi develops on the surface of the stones e.g. similar to a contemporary trickle feed system. * Material flows horizontally across the CW/R. The system shown in figure 1 is a subsurface design with the material crossing the bed through the porous matrix of the substrate. It is also possible to design & build surface flow CW/R that have the advantage of not requiring substrate. however, these type of CW/R are not as effective per unit area as subsurface systems, therefore more land is required. * Size per bed 3-5m*m pe-1 (pe = people equivalent - 6 people = 1 cow. Tendency for downsizing. Ratio 3:1 (Length:width) *The inclined bed of the system assists in the movement of effluent across the bed. The slope may be between 1-8% with a preference for lower values. *Flow rate (horizontal velocity) maximum 0.0001ms. V.Slow. *Depth @0.6m, Maximum rhizome and root structure depth 0.3m (gravel greater) * Control of input in a separated supply system is relatively easy guaranteeing a steady effluent supply. Heavy rain fall causes variation in input volume possibly causing overflow. High (bund) walls and secondary systems to absorb ovrflow are included in designs. *Important that the surface of the bed is level, regular flooding, by sealing outlet, helping to kill of terrestrial weeds until aquatic plants are established. *The impervious liner of the CW?R serves to seal the bed and prevent leakage. Man made materials i.e. low density polythene or bentonite (v.fine clay) and geotextile layering are used but some systems are puddled. *The substrate must allow flow of the liquid (hydraulic capacity) through its matrix at a sufficient rate which allows treatment to occur. Liquid passing through he matrix to fast will undergo no chemical/biological changes i.e. the hydraulic capacity (HC) must be correct for the design. *Mixtures of soil and gravel seem to be the preferred substrate providing a suitable rooting medium with good HC (soils low HC, gravel high HC). Pea gravel <10mm dia usually recommended. *Longer effluent retention time enhances treatment. Not necessarily important, based on size. *soils (esp. clays absorb metals due to their high cation exchange capacity (CEC) (exchanging positive metals with toxic metals in the liquid). This can lead to acute accumulation which will require removal and disposal of the substrate i.e. absorption of lead and release of calcium. Clays can be selected to absorb particular metals. The accumulation of toxic metal cations as a result of cation exchange is NOT bioaccumulation. *Organic material i.e. litter layer or composted settled solids in surface systems) can also remove metals. eventually the CEC of the substrate can become saturated and it is necessary to test the cation levels in the substrate and replace it if necessary with contaminated substrate being removed (land fill, processing - metal extraction?) *The lifespan of a CW/R is undefinable, and dependant on the effluent type being treated. Several beds are usually designed side by side in compartments which can be isolated individually for maintenance. *The substrate contains the roots and Rhizomes of the aquatic plants. The rhizomes branch laterally and vertically to produce more leaf growth above the surface and stem growth below. The roots, which absorb material, create extensive networks. The root hairs provide a large surface area interface with the soil. The type of plants used take oxygen down through the leaves in to the underground rhizomes/roots and into the surrounding substrate. This creates an aerobic zone around the roots in an otherwise anaerobic environment allowing two populations of bacteria to grow, aerobic in the rhizosphere and anaerobic below the rhizosphere. In winter the upper portion of the leaves dies off providing thermal insulation of the substrate; organic material input (gradually increasing the depth of the substrate 5-20mm / yr), and the roots die back. The rhizomes are unaffected. The growing season of the plant is a major factor in the overall efficiency of systems. Advantages ========= *Relatively low capital costs. Compared with standard sewage/effluent methods/plants. Surface flow > land > cost. *Relatively simple construction. Subsurface > cost *Relatively low maintenance costs. Monitoring: effluent; substrate; vegetation *Robust process. Vulnerable during initial phase *Environmentally acceptable. Natural principals using plants to mop up pollution from aquatic pollutants *Ecological benefits. Naturally treated water input Disadvantages =========== *Low loading rates Monitoring ======== *Minimum frequency - monthly/seasonally *Parameters monitored: suspended solids, biological oxygen demand, total organic nitrogen the water quality parameters which can be examined include temperature, pH, DO, total suspended solids, volatile suspended solids, CBOD5 (total and soluble), COD (total and soluble), TKN, NH3-N, total P and feacl coliform [...end] <><><><><><><> From: Mark Lomas : mlomas@tinet.ie Web : http://surf.to/NaturalTechnology Natural Technology Systems, Co.Clare, Eire. Reed Bed Wastewater Treatment. Eco-Construction (RBTS= Reed Bed Treatment System, Constructed Wetland BOD = Biochemical Oxygen Demand SS= Suspended Solids) Reduction of soluble organic compounds is the most important aspect of a RBTS, since these processes lead to major reductions in BOD and SS. Complex microbiological effects take place, but, in simple terms, micro-organisms (bacteria, protozoa) use the carbon from the dissolved organic matter for the synthesis of new cellular material, and in so doing produce stabilised by-products such as water and carbon dioxide. In an aerobic situation, such as a vertical flow reed bed, aerobic chemoheterotrophs oxidise organic compounds and release ammonia, while chemoautotrophs oxidise ammoniacal nitrogen to nitrite and nitrate (nitrification). Thus : Organic Matter (C+H+N+O) + Bacteria + O2 >> New Cells + CO2, NH3, H20 In anaerobic conditions, a two-step process occurs, mainly involving anaerobic heterotrophic bacteria. Organic matter + bacteria >> alcohols, acids, new cells >> CH4,H2S,NH3,CO2,H20 + new cells The methane-forming bacteria operate at optimum between pH6.5 and pH7.5, and it is preferable to promote this range, since gases formed in more acidic conditions are more unpleasant (eg. Hydrogen Sulphide, Ammonia). 4. Nitrogen : The main mechanism for removal of nitrogen is nitrification (ammonia > nitrite) followed by denitrification (nitrite > nitrate). Nitrates are either converted to harmless Nitrogen gas by bacteria in anoxic zones or taken up by plants in the treatment system. Other methods of nitrate removal include volatilisation and adsorption, although these are of lesser significance. Organic nitrate is easily mineralised to ammoniacal nitrogen, whether in aerobic or anoxic conditions. There follows microbial nitrification, where Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter microbes convert ammoniacal nitrogen to nitrite and nitrate. Biological denitrification is carried out by several genera of heterotrophic bacteria, including : Achromobacter; Aerobacter; Alcaligenes; Bacillus; Brevibacterium; Flavobacterium; Lactobacillus; Micrococcus; Proteus; Pseudomonas and Spirillum. Although a temporary step in the de-nitrification process produces nitric oxide and nitrous oxide, these are usually converted and passed into the atmosphere as nitrogen gas. The above is extracted from something I wrote for convincing planning departments that our reed beds do the job. It doesn't help with designing or sizing them, but our website will soon be carrying this type of practical info. If anyone's experimenting with aquaculture or nutrient recycling systems, we'll help out by e-mail, but I'd suggest buying a cheap pond test kit and playing about with the basic tests for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and sizing the bed for a particular application. If you're looking for re-use of nitrate eg. in feeding greenhouse crops, you'd want to hold back the treatment to give high nitrate, but if you were wanting to dispose of effluent to a watercourse, you'd also want low nitrate. Mark Lomas Natural Technology Systems Co.Clare, Eire. http://surf.to/NaturalTechnology mlomas@tinet.ie <><><><><><> Sugar cane, bananas, canna lilies, vetiver grass, comfrey and sweet potato may be used to absorb nutrients and water. Phragmites (reeds) and several species of bamboo are also used. <><><><><> On Fri, 22 Oct 1999 02:05:26 +1300, "Myk Rushton" wrote in the alt.permaculture newsgroup: After our discussion on reedbeds I came across the following in the Bamboo Specialist Nursery (NZ, Auckland) catalogue Sewage filter bamboo: P. makinoi, C. marmorea, P. hindsil, P. aurea, P. hebonis. all species shown are suckering and C. hebonis is considered invasive in warmer climates. ==== From: James Mortensen Newsgroups: rec.gardens.bamboo Subject: Re: Bamboo varieties for sewage filtering in constructed wetlands Date: Thu, 21 Oct 1999 23:02:55 -0500 Not sure what P. (or C.) hebonis. Also, what do you mean by "suckering." At least 3 on the list are monopodial and invasive. Jim Mortensen jmbamboo -- From: "Myk Rushton" Newsgroups: alt.permaculture Subject: Bamboo - Reedbeds Date: Wed, 3 Nov 1999 17:05:54 +1300 Myk wrote 22/Oct/99: P = Phyllostachy C = Chiminobambusa ---------- Phragmites australis is found in NZ. It's on the National Surveillance Plant Pests list which makes it '...an offence [in NZ] for anyone to knowingly propagate, distribute, spread, sell, or offer for sale or display...' (Biosecurity act 1993, section 52-53). Myk -- ==== From: "David Priem" Newsgroups: rec.gardens.bamboo Subject: Re: Bamboo varieties for sewage filtering in constructed wetlands Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 00:27:33 -0500 For sewage filtering. Darwin Nelson, who has a large bamboo farm in South Texas is experimenting with bamboo for just this purpose. One of the bamboo species he is trying is Semiarundinaria fastuosa. There may be some others he is trying as well. David ==== From: "Phillip Davidson" Newsgroups: rec.gardens.bamboo Subject: Re: Bamboo varieties for sewage filtering in constructed wetlands Date: Sat, 23 Oct 1999 23:57:25 -0700 James, check on page 27 of the latest issue of Pacific Nw Bamboo. there is an article entitled 'Double Happiness' by Oregon St Univ Ag Experiment Station that details bamboo used as a "sludge suck-up." Very interesting article. Phil Editor, Pacific NW Bamboo Jade Mountain Bamboo Nursery "We Specialize in Hardy Bamboos" http://business.fortunecity.com/ipo/180/index.html <><><><><><><><><> Living Technologies Living Technologies, Inc. 431 Pine Street Burlington, Vermont 05401 Tel: 1+802/865.4460 Fax: 1+802/865.4438 livetech@together.net http://www.livingmachines.com/ (Living Macchines) Water Recycling NCSU, Raleigh, NC http://waterrecycling.com/ Water Recycling Reference Databases on the World Wide Web http://waterrecycling.com/referenc.htm (there's an incredible amount of information here) And more from their links page: - Ocean Arks International http://www.mbl.edu/html/OA/mission.html Living Machine at the Findhorn Foundation http://www.gaia.org/findhorn/ecovil/ecolm.html Wetland Wastewater Treatment Plant, Arcata, CA http://www.humnat.org/wastwet.htm The SWAMP project http://www.computan.on.ca/~prodigal/ftgeo.htm Stensund Folk College in Trosa, south of Stockholm, Sweden http://www.algonet.se/~stensund/sec2.htm Advanced Integrated Pond (AIP) systems, St Helena, California http://www.eren.doe.gov/cities_counties Natural Technology Systems http://surf.to/NaturalTechnology email: mlomas@tinet.ie Water Recycling http://waterrecycling.com/ Water Recycling Reference Databases on the World Wide Web http://waterrecycling.com/referenc.htm (there's an incredible amount of information here) And more from their links page: - Findhorn Foundation http://www.gaia.org/findhorn/ecovil/ecolm.html South Burlington High School, teaching with benchtop Living Machines http://www.sburl.k12.vt.us/sbhs/science/lm/index.html Environmental Studies at Oberlin College http://www.libertytree.org/News/oberlin6.16.html Rocky Mountain Institute http://www.rmi.org The Hillier Group (Architecture, planning and graphic design) http://www.hillier.com/welcome.html Southwest Wetlands Group (Using constructed wetlands to treat wastewater) http://www.rt66.com/~swg Sustainable Technologies, Inc. http://www.sustainable.com/modern.html The Body Shop http://www.bodyshop.com National Small Flows Clearinghouse http://www.nsfc.wvu.edu Audubon http://www.audubon.org/local/sanctuary/cork/index.html Ocean Arks International http://www.mbl.edu/html/OA/mission.html Living Machine at the Findhorn Foundation http://www.gaia.org/findhorn/ecovil/ecolm.html Wetland Wastewater Treatment Plant, Arcata, CA http://www.humnat.org/wastwet.htm The SWAMP project http://www.computan.on.ca/~prodigal/ftgeo.htm Stensund Folk College in Trosa, south of Stockholm, Sweden http://www.algonet.se/~stensund/sec2.htm Advanced Integrated Pond (AIP) systems, St Helena, California http://www.eren.doe.gov/cities_counties <><><><><><><><><><> Candlelight Farm Permaculture Education Center (info on alternative waste treatment) http://www.candlelightpermaculture.com.au/resourcesItems/CFTour.html http://www.candlelightpermaculture.com.au/index.html <><><><> The Composting Toilet System Book. The next edition (out in September) ('99-R) by David DelPorto and Carol Steinfeld Sustainable Strategies Ecological Engineering and Design 50 Beharrell Street Concord, Masasachusetts USA 01742 Telephone: 01 978 369 9440 Fax: 01 978 369 2484 e-mail: sustainable@aics.net www.ecological-engineering.com has a multitude of worldwide examples and some of the more interesting research on the efficacy of low-tech systems is being done in NSW it seems.... -Rick Rick Valley Northern Groves PO Box 1236, Philomath, OR 97370 Mobile-(541)602-1315, hm.& msg. (541)929-7152 Bamboo catalog $2 or at "Useful Bamboos and other plants‹ Permaculture education‹ Ecological design & consultation centering on water,landform and horticultural systems" Another book: "The Humanure Handbook" <><><><><><><><><><> Website: VITAL DESIGN
  • Vital Design Lots of good information and links:
  • Farming and gardening with worms
  • Composter's Forum - Vermicomposting
  • Basic vermiculture (Campus Center for Appropriate Technology)
  • http://homepage.third-wave.com/wormpage/
  • The Worm Farm: Vermiculture Resources (Great Links)
  • World Resource Foundation(1995)
  • Environment Canada Agropur
  • Biogas in permaculture context
  • 10/96 Municipal Solid Waste
  • Volvo use of methane in engines
  • Recycling World Biomass Recycling
  • The Biomass Energy Alliance's 12/95
  • Energy from biomass Sussex course
  • Rainbow Mealworms, Inc.">/A>
  • Care Sheet for Food Insects
  • Biological supplies
  • REARING MEALWORMS HYG 2135
  • Aqualink fresh food
  • Aquaria live food
  • Aquaculture at NELHA
  • Freshwater Resources
  • Aquaculture & Fisheries
  • Fish & Wildlife Technology
  • NOAA Sust,Fisheries
  • http://www.intercom.net/biz/aquaedu/hatech/
  • Ahoy! Message board
  • Hydroponics Aquaponics Aquaculture
  • IUWF
  • hydrobiz
  • hydro4u
  • growroom
  • north hydro
  • what is hydroponics
  • plant_plane_hydro_faq
  • http://www.hydro4u.com/books.html
  • http://wormsway.com/hydro1.html
  • S & S Aqua farm Bioponics System
  • Homegrown Hydroponics
  • Hydroponics page
  • World wide water
  • Hydroponics IUWF
  • clivus
  • clivus
  • sunmar
  • Australian Permaculture
  • Composting Toilets
  • sancor
  • sunmar
  • keksintosaatio
  • humanure
  • Sourcebook: Composting Toilets
  • sunmar
  • tree_of_life
  • In Your Yard
  • EP - waste waters
  • What kind of sewage treatment plant is this?
  • Waterless Composting Toilet ..Clivus Multrum
  • NATURE-LOO
  • Nitrogen and Phosphorus Reclamation from Municipal Wastewater Through an Artificial Food-Chain System
  • Tree fruit
  • Biohaven
  • Horticulture web
  • http://www.food.vic.gov.au/c/c20.htm
  • http://tfrec.ncw.net/Orchard/compost96.html
  • http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/sarep/newsltr/v5n4/sa-12.htm
  • http://www.alternatives.com/libs/agfruit.htm
  • http://www.corvallis.disposal.com/no_frame/compost.html
  • http://www.waste.uni-essen.de/guidelin/1_objec.htm
  • http://www.waste.uni-essen.de/guidelin/index.htm
  • http://www.cityfarmer.org/homecompost4.html
  • http://www.kauai.net/humanure/humanure.html
  • http://fadr.msu.ru/rodale/gp/compost.html
  • http://www.waste.uni-essen.de/guidelin/3_objec.htm
  • CCAT Waste Management
  • COMPOST
  • The compost resource page
  • Gourmet Gardener
  • http://www.midwestorganic.org/survey/16.html
  • http://www.nettrek.com.au/~dancas/sustainp.html
  • http://www.ecotopia.org/ehof/chadwick/bio.html
  • http://www.ecotopia.org/ehof/chadwick/links.html
  • http://www.midwestorganic.org/survey/exec.html
  • http://www.greenmoney.com/pub/sustagri.htm
  • http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/~experts/vegetables/
  • http://www.midwestorganic.org/aboutorganic.html
  • Amazing Environmental Organization
  • Environmental Information Servers by Region
  • Ecology Action
  • Friends of the Earth Home Page
  • Environmental information
  • Environment Canada
  • GreenNet Home Page
  • Gaia Education Outreach Institute
  • Highland ECO Centre - Whats in it?
  • Other Biodiversity and Environmental Servers
  • Rodale Institute Research Center
  • Sierra Club Home Page
  • The 20000 Servers List
  • The World-Wide Web Virtual Library: Environmental Engineering
  • TV Net -- KUSA Denver, CO
  • The Conservation Consortium
  • 454.2 Environmental Impact and Protection
  • Index to permaculture resources - by type
  • Permaculture International Homepage
  • Permaculture resources on the Internet
  • Edible Landscaping Four winds
  • Plants for a future
  • Permaculture Links
  • Permaculture Resources at CSF
  • Permaculture Resources <><><><><><><><><><> REALLY traditional sewage treatment Wall Street Journal Andrew C. Revkin Wall Street Journal Andrew C. Revkin Our Towns LLOYD, N.Y. In his 28 years working at sewage treatment plants, John L. Jankiewicz has not known much excitement. You watch gauges, check the bacteria that digest waste, find cheap ways to dispose of sludge, keep turning gray water into clear water. Once, he found a quarter-carat diamond in a grit-collecting grate. His mother-in-law now wears it, Mr. Jankiewicz said. "She knows where it came from, " he said. "She doesn't mind." But one day last year, he said, while attending one of an endlessly boring series of conferences that are required to keep his license current, he found himself energized by one speaker's message: simple beds of marsh grass can clean waste water as effectively as costly assemblages of concrete tanks, steel pipes and electricity-hungry oxygen pumps. In essence, the speaker was saying that "everything I've been doing for 28 years is a stupid waste," Mr. Jankiewicz recalled. The talk described a "reed bed" treatment system in a small town in the Ecuadorean rain forest that used no electricity and required hardly any maintenance. It was even capable of turning rivulets of offal from a slaughterhouse into drinkable water. All with beds of tall grass. "It sounded far too good to be true, " Mr. Jankiewicz said. So he began tossing questions at the speaker, Dr. Ronald L. Lavigne, an environmental technology expert from the University of Massachusetts, and each one was answered. Mr. Jankiewicz, 49, the water and sewer administrator for Lloyd, NY, population 9,000, persuaded the town supervisor to send him 3,300 miles south to Shushufindi, a similar sized oil-prospecting town deep in the Ecuadorean jungle, to check out the idea. A few months later, Mr. Jankiewicz, who had never traveled abroad, was in a tropical version of the Wild West, witnessing a near lynching as a mob tackled a man with a machete who had attacked a woman. But he also saw the treatment system work. Last summer, he built a pilot-sized version back at the sewage plant in this sleepy Ulster County town of cider mills, orchards and scattered industrial parks. Now Mr. Jankiewicz stood next to the 30-by-50-foot patch of eye-high phragmites reeds that he planted last year and described how the reeds suck water from tons of sludge and pump oxygen through mats of roots to buried bacteria, which break down noxious materials in the waste. No need for machines to do the same thing. Maintenance? He won't have to clean out the bed for eight or nine years. And the plants do their job winter or summer. Dr. Lavigne was in Lloyd to check up on the project. He said different versions of the system are used elsewhere in the Northeast. A fish farm in Massachusetts uses beds of basil to treat waste. Lloyd's man-made marsh sits next to a building housing the energy-guzzling press that is the standard way of squeezing water from sludge. The marsh is doing the same job for about half the cost, Mr. Jankiewicz said. Artificial marshes may not only save money at the treatment plant, but also keep 300 jobs in Lloyd that might have shifted to New Jersey. A German-owned company that makes light fixtures four miles from the sewage plant had a failed septic system. Building a sewer line was too costly, so the company was considering moving out. Now, though, the company, Zumtobel Staff Lighting, is going to use an artificial marsh beyond its parking lot to treat its waste water, Mr. Jankiewicz said. Spurred by Mr. Jankiewicz, two cider mills in the area are building artificial wetlands to treat their annual autumn flood of unusable juice and other waste. In each case, costly, energy-guzzling equipment is being replaced by nothing but plants Mr. Jankiewicz said he has been reading lots of books on global environmental issues lately. It's nice to do something in Lloyd that might, in a small way, reduce the town's impact on the planet, he said. Back at the sewage plant, Mr. Jankiewicz pointed to an adjacent house lot the town just bought so he can expand to a full-sized sludge-treating marsh, bypassing one step in the process. "This is not a delicate experiment," he said. "I've flooded it with sludge, drowned the plants. And it just keeps on ticking. " <><><><> See also: http://metalab.unc.edu/permaculture http://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden http://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/orgfarm/bioremediation http://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/orgfarm/permaculture http://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/orgfarm/aquaculture http://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/orgfarm/hyperaccumulation http://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/orgfarm/vermiculture http://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/orgfarm/composting http://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/orgfarm/literature http://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/rural-skills <><><><> From lflondon@mindspring.com Sun Feb 11 12:05:23 2001 Return-Path: Received: from granger.mail.mindspring.net ([207.69.200.148]) by franklin.oit.unc.edu with SMTP (Lyris List Manager SOLARIS/SPARC version 4.0); Sun, 11 Feb 2001 12:00:50 -0500 Received: from user-2ivf6n1.dialup.mindspring.com (user-2ivf6n1.dialup.mindspring.com [165.247.154.225]) by granger.mail.mindspring.net (8.9.3/8.8.5) with SMTP id MAA24086 for ; Sun, 11 Feb 2001 12:00:40 -0500 (EST) From: lflondon@mindspring.com To: permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu Subject: (fwd) Grey Water Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001 12:05:23 -0500 X-Mailer: Forte Agent 1.7/32.534 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Newsgroups: permaculture Path: permaculture Message-Id: <93995@permaculture> On Sun, 11 Feb 2001 12:38:30 +1100, in alt.permaculture "Paul" wrote: Hi all. I live in Canberra Australia, and want to use sand traps, reed beds etc to have a large water feature in our yard. I envisage using grey water from the shower, bath basin and washing machine. I am not sure what sort of primary filters etc to use. I do not want to use toilet or dish washing water. I would like several ponds cascading down our back yard with a pump to feed back to the top. I will have an over flow which will allow excess to flow into the stormwater or sewer, when the system is replenished by water from the house. Has anyone had any experience with one of these, and what problems did they have, especially with the authorities? The water people here are pretty good but I haven't approached them yet, as I would like to go in with some decent plans and ideas. Thanks, Paul <><><><> <><><><> On 11 Feb 2001 20:18:16 +1000, in alt.permaculture dmoss@mydeja.com (David Moss) wrote: tnt@apex.net.au (Paul) wrote in <981855363.171581@draal2.apex.net.au>: >I would like several ponds cascading down our back yard with a pump to >feed back to the top. I will have an over flow which will allow excess >to flow into the stormwater or sewer, when the system is replenished by >water from the house. If you are going to use wastewater of any kind I can't see them letting you=20 connect it to stormwater. If you are going to use rainwater of any kind I can't see them letting you=20 connect it to sewage. In the former case you would end up raising the biochemical oxygen demand=20 of whatever river or stream the stormwater ends up in, even if you just use=20 washing and showering waste. In the second, if everyone added stormwater to the sewage the system would=20 not cope and it would end up raising the BOD of the Molongalo and=20 Murrumbidgee Rivers. BTW I suggest you take a geko at a tertiery treatment pond in a sewage works before you go ahead with this idea. I did a tour as part of=20 Engineering Science at DDIAE some years back. The secondary treatment pond=20 looked much like any lake you see around here, fairly clear water, fish,=20 waterbirds and frogs etc. Then they filtered it into another pond and=20 bubbled air through it. What a mess! They sell the brown crap that=20 precipitates out on day 2 as feritliser and burn the gas thats given off to=20 generate power. I wish you luck, what you propose would probably work well with a bit of=20 land. See that the Mt Stromlo Obsevatory do with their grey waste for an=20 example. In the suburbs though, I don't know. David Moss personal opinion only From lflondon@mindspring.com Mon Feb 12 01:16:52 2001 Return-Path: Received: from johnson.mail.mindspring.net ([207.69.200.177]) by franklin.oit.unc.edu with SMTP (Lyris List Manager SOLARIS/SPARC version 4.0); Mon, 12 Feb 2001 01:12:11 -0500 Received: from user-2ivf1ds.dialup.mindspring.com (user-2ivf1ds.dialup.mindspring.com [165.247.133.188]) by johnson.mail.mindspring.net (8.9.3/8.8.5) with SMTP id BAA15013 for ; Mon, 12 Feb 2001 01:12:05 -0500 (EST) From: lflondon@mindspring.com To: permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu Subject: (fwd) Re: Grey Water Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 01:16:52 -0500 X-Mailer: Forte Agent 1.7/32.534 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Newsgroups: permaculture Path: permaculture Message-Id: <94121@permaculture> On Sun, 11 Feb 2001 21:15:02 GMT, in alt.permaculture "Reedbed" wrote: gardenlen wrote > the dimensions of the reed bed will all important, and as i see it you > shouldn't need any prefiltering for shower and laundry water, kitchen > water can be used you just need to run it through a grease trap first. Hi Paul, Len's said pretty much all I'd say on the matter. Greywater is low in BOD and pathogen content, and so you're not at risk of polluting anything by just playing around with whatever fits in the space... I'd use a vertical flow reed bed as the first stage - basically this is a liner, water tank or plastic barrel filled with different grades of gravel in layers - big stones at the base for drainage and sharp sand on the surface. The effluent floods the surface, flows quickly downwards and away to the next stage, getting aerated in the process. (ammoniacal N is converted to nitrite) Next, a sub-surface flow horizontal bed would convert the nitrite to nitrate, which is then easily taken up by plants. The HFRB is a shallow lagoon filled with gravel. Effluent entering at the inlet end displaces cleaned effluent at the other end, and the bed always contains water to just below the gravel surface. I wouldn't worry too much about sizing the beds - it's more a case of fitting them to whatever you have at hand for lining them. (This would be a different matter if you were submitting a design for Building Regulations Approval etc - but in that case you'd really need to pay someone, and I don't suppose the job would cover my travel expenses :-) If anything, you run the risk of providing too little nutrient to the plants, rather than too much, in a greywater system. After that, your water will be crystal clear, and you can add any ponds, marsh areas etc. Water from a living pond is the best stuff for watering food crops, so I'd forget the idea of overflowing to sewers etc, and put in enough storage in the final pond to water the garden, as Len suggested. I won't go into planting, since some of the native plants we use here in Ireland are (according to other alt.pc'ers) noxious weeds downunder. Just look around for whatever grows wild in wet areas - the most useful plants in reed beds are all Graminae (grasses) - reeds, bulrushes etc. Our website gives a little more background info - http://surf.to/NaturalTechnology and there are loads of resources on the web covering reed bed construction - you can't get into trouble if you're only treating greywater - but of course blackwater would be another matter. HTH Mark =46rom: "Haig" Newsgroups: alt.hipcrime.engr.wastewater,alt.permaculture,alt.wastewater,aus.gardens,= canb.general Subject: Re: Grey Water Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001 21:22:31 GMT Paul Len is spot on about the size of components. I suspect you would need a fairly big reed bed or other nutrient removal scheme to do it. Then there will be the nutrient imbalance problem. Lotsa phosphates in cleaning products but no nitrogen. So the removal bed will only clean up as much P as the N will allow, then you will be stuck with high P in your system just waiting for some nutrient input to cause an unexpected bloom... probably of an unacceptable type like blue-green algae. Could add N I suppose but the bed would need to be bigger. It really is requiring monitoring and design beyond just a simple DIY project. Then there are the microbiologicals. Most local authorities ban any sprinkling of grey water due to pathogens. I suspect they will see cascades as having similar tho reduced problems. As Len says, the better option seems to be to use the grey water for soakage watering of plants and the water you save, augmented with stormwater could go into your system for make-up. If you design as impermeable a base as possible for your feature, make-up will only have to cope with evaporation. Good luck, Jim Haig From lflondon@mindspring.com Wed Feb 14 15:26:29 2001 Return-Path: Received: from maynard.mail.mindspring.net ([207.69.200.243]) by franklin.oit.unc.edu with SMTP (Lyris List Manager SOLARIS/SPARC version 4.0); Wed, 14 Feb 2001 15:21:52 -0500 Received: from user-2ivf2dc.dialup.mindspring.com (user-2ivf2dc.dialup.mindspring.com [165.247.137.172]) by maynard.mail.mindspring.net (8.9.3/8.8.5) with SMTP id PAA13564 for ; Wed, 14 Feb 2001 15:21:42 -0500 (EST) From: lflondon@mindspring.com To: permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu Subject: (fwd) Re: Grey Water Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 15:26:29 -0500 X-Mailer: Forte Agent 1.7/32.534 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Newsgroups: permaculture Path: permaculture Message-Id: <94685@permaculture> On Mon, 12 Feb 2001 10:52:26 GMT, in alt.permaculture "Reedbed" wrote: Haig wrote in message > Len is spot on about the size of components. I suspect you would need a > fairly big reed bed or other nutrient removal scheme to do it. Then = there > will be the nutrient imbalance problem. Lotsa phosphates in cleaning > products but no nitrogen. So the removal bed will only clean up as much= P > as the N will allow, then you will be stuck with high P in your system = just > waiting for some nutrient input to cause an unexpected bloom... = probably > of an unacceptable type like blue-green algae. Could add N I suppose = but the > bed would need to be bigger. Could you explain how N and P are dependent on each other for removal ??? TIA Mark <><><> On Wed, 14 Feb 2001 19:28:01 GMT, in alt.permaculture "Haig" wrote: Mark, my understanding is that any biological nutrient system is dependent on the food requirements of the species chosen. Apart from the micro nutrients (trace elements), living organisms need a balance of their major nutrients (N, P, K, C, etc) to grow and reproduce. This introduces the concept of a "limiting nutrient", one which is essential to the species and despite all the other nutrients being present in abundance, will prevent further expansion of the species because it is at lower than balance levels. A typical example is diatoms and their need for silica. Diatom blooms often follow an influx of water after rain which has disturbed sediments and released more dissolved silica. Getting back to a nutrient removal system. Greywater in particular is extremely rich in phosphorous (phosphates ex cleaning products) and carbon (sugars, etc from kitchen) and silica (also ex cleaning products). Nitrogen is not a big constituent (unless you include some toilet waste) and in this type of system becomes a limiting nutrient. (remember, even well-treated sewerage contains high P levels even after optimised bio-removal through a well-controlled plant). That is why I suggest that a recirculating system as Paul proposed can sit there percolating away with very high nutrient levels but little growth. Then, when someone fertilises the garden and excess nitrogen washes in, bang, a bloom, but probably of an undesirable species such as algae..... in short the green slimey masses you see in drains and stagnant creeks. But, of course bio-removal can be done. But you have to design a system with the right species (those with high requirements for the excess nutrients), with the size capacity to cope with the levels (there are bulk phosphates in grey water!) and possibly care for the sytem with as much attention as you give your swimming pool - only NPK etc analyses aren't cheap. Anyone who takes on such a project gets my full support for environmental responsibility and get up and go. Just be aware of the chemistry and the hazards associated with grey water aerosols and diffuse pollution issues, viz. high P seeps into water table from Pauls water feature (and someone elses septic and someone elses weekly car washing ) and at the spring in the next valley to you trails a fetid mass of slime. Good luck, Jim <><><><> On Wed, 14 Feb 2001 11:38:25 GMT, in alt.permaculture Ellen Hrebeniuk wrote: In article <981855363.171581@draal2.apex.net.au>, "Paul"=20 asked about grey water systems. Try looking up back issues of Earth garden and similar magazines, and=20 also read Michael Mobbs' book "Sustainable House". He's managed to=20 dispose of his *sewerage* as well as grey water on his property in=20 Chippendale! Ellen Hrebeniuk Sydney <><><><> From permed@nor.com.au Tue Feb 13 06:59:27 2001 Return-Path: Received: from cheetah.nor.com.au ([202.147.135.30]) by franklin.oit.unc.edu with SMTP (Lyris List Manager SOLARIS/SPARC version 4.0); Tue, 13 Feb 2001 07:24:25 -0500 Received: from nor.com.au (057.digital.ppp.lismore.dataheart.net [202.147.130.57]) by cheetah.nor.com.au (8.9.3/8.9.3/Debian 8.9.3-21) with ESMTP id XAA04913 for ; Tue, 13 Feb 2001 23:24:13 +1100 X-Authentication-Warning: cheetah.nor.com.au: Host 057.digital.ppp.lismore.dataheart.net [202.147.130.57] claimed to be nor.com.au Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2001 22:59:27 +1100 From: Robyn Francis X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.73C-CCK-MCD {C-UDP; EBM-APPLE} (Macintosh; U; PPC) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: permaculture Subject: Re: (fwd) Grey Water References: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854"; x-mac-creator="4D4F5353" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Newsgroups: permaculture Path: permaculture Message-Id: <94377@permaculture> I have Council approved reed bed treatment systems here at Djanbung Gardens one is for grey water The grey water goes through a simple grease trap then into the reed beds - ferrous cement beds 500mm deep filled with 12-15mm gravel planted with Phragmites Australis (2m2 per person surface area is acceptable to health authorities. The treated water goes into an open holding pond planted with water lilies, iris and other aquatic plants Southern Cross University, Lismore has further info Robyn Francis lflondon@mindspring.com wrote: > On Sun, 11 Feb 2001 12:38:30 +1100, in alt.permaculture "Paul" > wrote: > > Hi all. > > I live in Canberra Australia, and want to use sand traps, reed beds > etc to > have a large water feature in our yard. I envisage using grey water > from > the shower, bath basin and washing machine. I am not sure what sort > of > primary filters etc to use. I do not want to use toilet or dish > washing > water. > > I would like several ponds cascading down our back yard with a pump to > feed > back to the top. I will have an over flow which will allow excess to > flow > into the stormwater or sewer, when the system is replenished by water > from > the house. > > Has anyone had any experience with one of these, and what problems did > they > have, especially with the authorities? The water people here are > pretty > good but I haven't approached them yet, as I would like to go in with > some > decent plans and ideas. > > Thanks, > > Paul > > <><><><> > <><><><> > > On 11 Feb 2001 20:18:16 +1000, in alt.permaculture dmoss@mydeja.com > (David Moss) wrote: > > tnt@apex.net.au (Paul) wrote in <981855363.171581@draal2.apex.net.au>: > > >I would like several ponds cascading down our back yard with a pump to > >feed back to the top. I will have an over flow which will allow excess > >to flow into the stormwater or sewer, when the system is replenished by > >water from the house. > > If you are going to use wastewater of any kind I can't see them > letting you > connect it to stormwater. > > If you are going to use rainwater of any kind I can't see them letting > you > connect it to sewage. > > In the former case you would end up raising the biochemical oxygen > demand > of whatever river or stream the stormwater ends up in, even if you > just use > washing and showering waste. > > In the second, if everyone added stormwater to the sewage the system > would > not cope and it would end up raising the BOD of the Molongalo and > Murrumbidgee Rivers. > > BTW I suggest you take a geko at a tertiery treatment pond in a sewage > works before you go ahead with this idea. I did a tour as part of > Engineering Science at DDIAE some years back. The secondary treatment > pond > looked much like any lake you see around here, fairly clear water, > fish, > waterbirds and frogs etc. Then they filtered it into another pond and > bubbled air through it. What a mess! They sell the brown crap that > precipitates out on day 2 as feritliser and burn the gas thats given > off to > generate power. > > I wish you luck, what you propose would probably work well with a bit > of > land. See that the Mt Stromlo Obsevatory do with their grey waste for > an > example. In the suburbs though, I don't know. > > David Moss > personal opinion only > > --- > You are currently subscribed to permaculture as: permed@nor.com.au > To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu > Get the list FAQ at: http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/documents/permaculture.faq From lflondon@mindspring.com Thu Feb 15 19:34:55 2001 Return-Path: Received: from smtp6.mindspring.com ([207.69.200.110]) by franklin.oit.unc.edu with SMTP (Lyris List Manager SOLARIS/SPARC version 4.0); Thu, 15 Feb 2001 19:30:11 -0500 Received: from user-2ivf2h1.dialup.mindspring.com (user-2ivf2h1.dialup.mindspring.com [165.247.138.33]) by smtp6.mindspring.com (8.9.3/8.8.5) with SMTP id TAA16710 for ; Thu, 15 Feb 2001 19:30:01 -0500 (EST) From: lflondon@mindspring.com To: permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu Subject: (fwd) Re: Grey Water Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 19:34:55 -0500 X-Mailer: Forte Agent 1.7/32.534 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Newsgroups: permaculture Path: permaculture Message-Id: <94915@permaculture> On Thu, 15 Feb 2001 23:21:07 GMT, in alt.permaculture "Reedbed" wrote: Haig wrote in message news:5%Ai6.17847$lI2.19696@news1.rochd1.qld.optushome.com.au... > Mark, > > my understanding is that any biological nutrient system is dependent on the > food requirements of the species chosen. Apart from the micro nutrients > (trace elements), living organisms need a balance of their major = nutrients > (N, P, K, C, etc) to grow and reproduce. This introduces the concept of= a > "limiting nutrient", Thanks for that - obvious really, when you explain it that way - but I think I misread your original post, thinking that you meant that N and P are _chemically_ dependant on each other. =46rom my own reading of the situation, reed bed systems themselves are not great at removing P over long periods. However, the removal mechanisms are not _all_ biological. (Biological P removal can be in the range of 30 to 50%). Gravel-based beds are better than soil, but P removal depends on the iron content of the substrate, and eventually reaches saturation. Most of the long term P removal is best carried out after the treatment system in a soil-based leachfield or a wet woodland, where adsorption, complexation and precipitation are enhanced by a high clay content - using a mixture of plant/grass species, P removal can reach 99%. Low-P and no-P washing powders, cleaners etc are fairly common nowadays, and are a Good Thing - whatever the eventual method of wastewater treatment. Mark From M.S.OKeeffe@uq.net.au Fri Feb 16 08:49:12 2001 Path: mindspring!news.mindspring.net!newsfeed2.earthlink.net!newsfeed.earthlink.net!lsanca1-snf1!news.gtei.net!news.netgate.net.nz!news.xtra.co.nz!news1.optus.net.au!optus!bunyip.cc.uq.edu.au!not-for-mail From: "Scott O'Keeffe" Newsgroups: alt.hipcrime.engr.wastewater,alt.permaculture,alt.wastewater,aus.gardens,canb.general Subject: Re: Grey Water Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2001 23:49:12 +1000 Organization: University of Queensland Lines: 30 Message-ID: <96ja0t$c8i$1@bunyip.cc.uq.edu.au> References: <981855363.171581@draal2.apex.net.au> <5%Ai6.17847$lI2.19696@news1.rochd1.qld.optushome.com.au> NNTP-Posting-Host: dyn-6-11.dialin.uq.net.au X-Trace: bunyip.cc.uq.edu.au 982330205 12562 203.100.6.11 (16 Feb 2001 13:30:05 GMT) X-Complaints-To: news@uq.edu.au NNTP-Posting-Date: 16 Feb 2001 13:30:05 GMT X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.3155.0 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3155.0 Xref: mindspring alt.permaculture:9567 alt.wastewater:1833 aus.gardens:16291 canb.general:35447 One of the keys to making any nutrient stripping system work is a harvest. Nobody has mentioned that. Without a harvest, the uptake of nutrients by reeds, or whatever, will drop off, and nutrients will build up in the system. You need to harvest biomass, to remove the nutrients. So what will you do with the harvested material? I'm not suggesting this is a stumbling block, just something you have to consider in your design and planning. Having designed some of these things myself, I think your best bet might be to reconsider. Is your objective to have ponds or is your objective to dispose of nutrients? If it is the latter, I would opt for a small orchard with a subsurface irrigation system. Make it big enough that you can shift where you are irrigating. You need some good figures on quality of grey water, and, if you use land disposal you need some good soil tests. You need to do a lot of work. As for the house in Sydney... I watched that programme. It was very interesting and informative. One of the big things it got across was just how much work is involved in maintaining a system in working order. Scott O'Keeffe Reedbed wrote in message ... > > >Haig wrote in message >news:5%Ai6.17847$lI2.19696@news1.rochd1.qld.optushome.com.au... >> Mark, >> >> my understanding is that any biological nutrient system is dependent on >the >> food requirements of the species chosen.