permaculture

[Marimike6@cs.com]

>I'm wondering if any of you have resources or know of good ones to
introduce/ educate a civil engineer with swale and constructed wetland
design. If you know of any info or data on the total suspended solids
reduction through these methods, that would be particularly helpful, as we
need to design for improved parking lot runoff water quality as well as
reduced quantity. The project is in northern Utah/ Wasatch Front, in the
U.S., so semi-arid savannah/humid-temperate highland edge.

>If any of you also know of any good generic swale details/ cross sectional
graphics, that would be really helpful too. 

Oliver... Most of this work has been done in wetter regions than yours, but 
the principles are still the same. Dramatic results are abundant in the 
literature regarding the fixing of nitrogen, organic carbon and phosphorus, 
not to 
mention removal of lead, zinc, mercury (including methyl Hg), sulfates, 
bacterial loads and reductions in biological oxygen demand. 

Start by writing the USDA's National Agricultural Library (a division of 
their Agricultural Research Service), Beltsville, MD 20705-2351. Ask for a 
copy of 
their publication Constructed Wetlands and Other Approaches to Protecting 
Water Quality: January 2000-March 2003 (or later edition). It's in their 
Quick 
Bibliography Series, QB 2003-02. ISSN: 1052-5378. Lists many papers of 
interest-- to be exact, 215 of them.

Next, check out the previous issue, Constructed Wetlands and Water Quality 
Improvement (II): January 1997-June 2000:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/Bibliographies/conwet2.html

They also publish another invaluable bibliography, Agricultural Hydrology: 
January 2001-December 2002. QB 2003-01. ISSN: 1052-5378.

Or, just look at their Water Quality Info Center (WQIC) home page, at
http:www.nal.usda.gov/wqic
Their mission is to "collect, organize and disseminate information on the 
scientific, educational and public policy aspects of water resources and 
agriculture". I suspect someone there can point you on the right road. 
Contact them at 
wqic@nal.usda.gov or call 301 504 6077.

Or, look at the Constructed Wetlands Treatment of Municipal Wastewaters: 
Manual:
http://www.epa.gov/ordntrnt/ORD/NRML/Pubs/2001/wetlands/625r99010.pdf

The rest of my easily accessed resources are all in the mid-Atlantic Coastal 
Region. You could ask any of the following for materials, and I think they'd 
be happy to help:

Coleen Sullins, Division of Water Quality (Section Chief), NC DENR (Dept. of 
Environment & Natural Resources

Deanna Osmond, Soil Science Dept., NC State University

Ken Reckhow, Director, NC Water Resources Research Institute

Tom Simpson, Coordinator, Chesapeake Bay Programs, College of Agriculture and 
Natural Resources, U. Md.

Donald R. Hey, Senior VP, The Wetland Initiative

Mike Williams, Director, Animal & Poultry Waste Mgmt. Center, NC State 
University (Frank Humenik is another useful fellow there)

Leslie Behrends, TVA Team Leader, Wetlands and Water Quality, TVA 
Environmental Research Center, Muscle Shoals, AL 35661

...this last might be helpful in terms of dealing with runoff issues in hill 
country. But I could go on and on. Central NC is urbanizing as fast as is the 
Greater Salt Lake area, and we have lots and lots of experience in capturing 
urban runoff from large expanses of black top. In fact, our DENR requires 
effective capture plans for all new projects that displace absorbent soil 
(that is, 
all projects).

Good lord, I have so much more stuff! I really do have to clean out my desk. 
Here's a nice diagrammatic of New Hanover County's constructed wetlands 
leachate treatment and spray irrigation system. Do you want to disperse your 
cleaned 
effluent into an agricultural area? Contact Sam P. Hawes, of the New Hanover 
County Dept. of Environmental Management.

All of the above can probably give you some specifics on biosolids or heavy 
metals particulates reduction per acre per flow rate (TSS removal) for any 
specific artificial wetlands project design that has been published or that 
they've taken part in. Or at least point the way toward someone who can. 

I'm no expert. All I know is, slow down the runoff rate (or, ideally, capture 
it) and plant bulrushes and cattails. It can't help but improve the 
situation, and gives lots of blackbirds a new home.

Hope this helps.

Mike Elvin