permaculture

[Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>]

http://www.ibiblio.org/intergarden/documents/constructed-wetlands.txt

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&nbsp
(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" <permaculture@wave.co.nz>
From: "Myk Rushton" <permaculture@wave.co.nz>
To: <lflondon@mindspring.com>
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/NaturalTechnologymlomas@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" <permaculture@wave.co.nz>
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 <jmbamboo@att.net>
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" <permaculture@wave.co.nz>
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" <dpriem@unidial.com>
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" <phildavidson@worldnet.att.net>
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+802/865.4438livetech@together.net http://www.livingmachines.com/
(Living Macchines)

Water Recycling
NCSU, Raleigh, NChttp://waterrecycling.com/

Water Recycling Reference Databases on the World Wide
Webhttp://waterrecycling.com/referenc.htm
(there's an incredible amount of information here)

And more from their links page:
-
Ocean Arks Internationalhttp://www.mbl.edu/html/OA/mission.html

Living Machine at the Findhorn
Foundationhttp://www.gaia.org/findhorn/ecovil/ecolm.html

Wetland Wastewater Treatment Plant, Arcata, 
CAhttp://www.humnat.org/wastwet.htm

The SWAMP project http://www.computan.on.ca/~prodigal/ftgeo.htm

Stensund Folk College in Trosa, south of Stockholm,
Swedenhttp://www.algonet.se/~stensund/sec2.htm

Advanced Integrated Pond (AIP) systems, St Helena,
Californiahttp://www.eren.doe.gov/cities_counties

Natural Technology Systemshttp://surf.to/NaturalTechnology
email: mlomas@tinet.ie

Water Recyclinghttp://waterrecycling.com/
Water Recycling Reference Databases on the World Wide
Webhttp://waterrecycling.com/referenc.htm
(there's an incredible amount of information here)
And more from their links page:
-
Findhorn Foundationhttp://www.gaia.org/findhorn/ecovil/ecolm.html

South Burlington High School, teaching with benchtop Living
Machineshttp://www.sburl.k12.vt.us/sbhs/science/lm/index.html

Environmental Studies at Oberlin
Collegehttp://www.libertytree.org/News/oberlin6.16.html

Rocky Mountain Institutehttp://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 Shophttp://www.bodyshop.com

National Small Flows Clearinghousehttp://www.nsfc.wvu.edu

Audubonhttp://www.audubon.org/local/sanctuary/cork/index.html

Ocean Arks Internationalhttp://www.mbl.edu/html/OA/mission.html

Living Machine at the Findhorn
Foundationhttp://www.gaia.org/findhorn/ecovil/ecolm.html

Wetland Wastewater Treatment Plant, Arcata, 
CAhttp://www.humnat.org/wastwet.htm

The SWAMP project http://www.computan.on.ca/~prodigal/ftgeo.htm

Stensund Folk College in Trosa, south of Stockholm,
Swedenhttp://www.algonet.se/~stensund/sec2.htm

Advanced Integrated Pond (AIP) systems, St Helena,
Californiahttp://www.eren.doe.gov/cities_counties


<><><><><><><><><><>

Candlelight Farm Permaculture Education Center
(info on alternative waste
treatment)http://www.candlelightpermaculture.com.au/resourcesItems/CFTour.htmlhttp://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.netwww.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
<http://www.teleport.com/~dbrooks/bamboo.html>
"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

<li><a href="http://www.vitaldes.demon.co.uk";>Vital Design</a>

Lots of good information and links:

<LI><A HREF="http://www.koa.com.au/level10/worms/";>Farming and
gardening with worms</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.oldgrowth.org:80/compost/wwwboard/vermi/index.html";>Composter's
Forum - Vermicomposting</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://sorrel.humboldt.edu/~ccat/sub/vermi.htm";>Basic
vermiculture (Campus Center for Appropriate Technology)</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://homepage.third-wave.com/wormpage/";>http://homepage.third-wave.com/wormpage/</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.empnet.com/worms/resource.htm";>The Worm Farm:
Vermiculture Resources (Great Links)</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.wrfound.org.uk/AD-IS.html";>World Resource
Foundation(1995)</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.mullins.com/busenv/success/agropur.html";>Environment
Canada Agropur</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/rowe_intro.html";>Biogas in
permaculture context</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://oit.eh.doe.gov/pudesc/biofuel.htm";>10/96 Municipal
Solid Waste</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.volvo.se/environment/report.95/motor.html";>Volvo
use of methane in engines</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.tecweb.com/wlibrary/compost.htm";>Recycling
World Biomass Recycling</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.biomass.org/files/update4.txt";>The Biomass
Energy Alliance's 12/95</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://ahudson.mols.susx.ac.uk/esfinalyr/biomass.html";>Energy
from biomass Sussex course</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.herp.com/rainbow/rainbow.html";>Rainbow
Mealworms, Inc.">/A>
<LI><A HREF="http://web.bu.edu/~ldaly/herps/misc/mealworms.html";>Care
Sheet for Food Insects </A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.tmbs.com/";>Biological supplies</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/hyg-fact/2000/2135.html";>REARING
MEALWORMS HYG 2135</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.aqualink.com/fresh/food.html";>Aqualink fresh food</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~aquaria/Faq/live-food.html";>Aquaria
live food</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://bigisland.com/nelha/aqua.html";>Aquaculture at NELHA</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.aqualink.com/fresh/food.html";>Freshwater Resources</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.ecology.su.se/fishaqua.htm";>Aquaculture & 
Fisheries</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.westvikingc.nf.ca/fshwlftc.htm";>Fish &
Wildlife Technology</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.noaa.gov/str-plan/k-fisheries.html";>NOAA
Sust,Fisheries</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.intercom.net/biz/aquaedu/hatech/";>http://www.intercom.net/biz/aquaedu/hatech/</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.aquanet.com/wwwboard/wwwboard.html";>Ahoy!
Message board</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.intercom.net/biz/aquaedu/hatech/pages/aquapis.html";>Hydroponics
Aquaponics Aquaculture</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.viasub.net/IUWF/2.html";>IUWF</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.yosemite.net/hydroponics/hydrobiz.html";>hydrobiz</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.hydro4u.com/faq.html";>hydro4u</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.growroom.com/market/list_uk.htm";>growroom</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.northhydro.com/";>north hydro</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.hydroponics.com/whatis.htm";>what is hydroponics</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.growroom.com/faqs/plant_plane_hydro_faq.htm";>plant_plane_hydro_faq</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.hydro4u.com/books.html";>http://www.hydro4u.com/books.html</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://wormsway.com/hydro1.html";>http://wormsway.com/hydro1.html</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.townsqr.com/snsaqua/page2.htm";>S & S Aqua farm
Bioponics System</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.hydroponics.com/";>Homegrown Hydroponics</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.np.ac.sg:9080/~csk/hydro_h.html";>Hydroponics page</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://execpc.com/~jtonner/WWWater.html";>World wide water</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.viasub.net/IUWF/index.html";>Hydroponics IUWF</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.netprophet.co.nz/qld/clivus.htm";>clivus</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.netprophet.co.nz/qld/clivus.htm";>clivus</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.mtlion.com/sunmar/order.htm";>sunmar</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.nor.com.au/environment/perma/data/earth58.html";>Australian
Permaculture</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.cityfarmer.org/comptoilet64.html";>Composting 
Toilets</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.waterstore.com/sancor3.html";>sancor</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.mtlion.com/sunmar/excelne.htm";>sunmar</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.keksintosaatio.fi/9/9843_e.htm";>keksintosaatio</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.kauai.net/humanure/humanure.html";>humanure</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.txinfinet.com/Sourcebook/CompostToilet.html";>Sourcebook:
Composting Toilets </A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.mtlion.com/sunmar/centrex.htm";>sunmar</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/tree_of_life.html";>tree_of_life</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.ns.doe.ca/udo/whatwe4.html";>In Your Yard</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.emilis.sa.on.net/emil_37.htm";>EP - waste waters </A>
<LI><A HREF="http://199.126.5.117/INS/harboraqua.html";>What kind of
sewage treatment plant is this? </A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.netprophet.co.nz/qld/clivus.htm";>Waterless
Composting Toilet ..Clivus Multrum </A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.ozemail.com.au/~natloo/order.html";>NATURE-LOO </A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.uwin.siu.edu:4001/usr/local/data/wrsic/1993.txt_6485634_1993";>Nitrogen
and Phosphorus Reclamation from Municipal Wastewater Through an
Artificial Food-Chain System</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.safari.net/~lychee/";>Tree fruit </A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.biohaven.com/bus/biotactics/frttre.htm";>Biohaven</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://hortweb.cas.psu.edu/courses/hort497a/syllabus.html";>Horticulture
web</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.food.vic.gov.au/c/c20.htm";>http://www.food.vic.gov.au/c/c20.htm</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://tfrec.ncw.net/Orchard/compost96.html";>http://tfrec.ncw.net/Orchard/compost96.html</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/sarep/newsltr/v5n4/sa-12.htm";>http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/sarep/newsltr/v5n4/sa-12.htm</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.alternatives.com/libs/agfruit.htm";>http://www.alternatives.com/libs/agfruit.htm</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.corvallis.disposal.com/no_frame/compost.html";>http://www.corvallis.disposal.com/no_frame/compost.html</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.waste.uni-essen.de/guidelin/1_objec.htm";>http://www.waste.uni-essen.de/guidelin/1_objec.htm</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.waste.uni-essen.de/guidelin/index.htm";>http://www.waste.uni-essen.de/guidelin/index.htm</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.cityfarmer.org/homecompost4.html";>http://www.cityfarmer.org/homecompost4.html</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.kauai.net/humanure/humanure.html";>http://www.kauai.net/humanure/humanure.html</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://fadr.msu.ru/rodale/gp/compost.html";>http://fadr.msu.ru/rodale/gp/compost.html</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.waste.uni-essen.de/guidelin/3_objec.htm";>http://www.waste.uni-essen.de/guidelin/3_objec.htm</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.humboldt.edu/~ccat/waste.htm";>CCAT Waste Management 
</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://net.indra.com/~topsoil/Compost_Menu.html";>COMPOST</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.oldgrowth.org/compost/";>The compost resource page</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.metrobbs.com/tgg/index.html";>Gourmet Gardener </A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.midwestorganic.org/survey/16.html";>http://www.midwestorganic.org/survey/16.html</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.nettrek.com.au/~dancas/sustainp.html";>http://www.nettrek.com.au/~dancas/sustainp.html</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.ecotopia.org/ehof/chadwick/bio.html";>http://www.ecotopia.org/ehof/chadwick/bio.html</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.ecotopia.org/ehof/chadwick/links.html";>http://www.ecotopia.org/ehof/chadwick/links.html</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.midwestorganic.org/survey/exec.html";>http://www.midwestorganic.org/survey/exec.html</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.greenmoney.com/pub/sustagri.htm";>http://www.greenmoney.com/pub/sustagri.htm</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/~experts/vegetables/";>http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/~experts/vegetables/</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.midwestorganic.org/aboutorganic.html";>http://www.midwestorganic.org/aboutorganic.html</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.webdirectory.com"; ADD_DATE="851368643"
LAST_VISIT="0" LAST_MODIFIED="0">Amazing Environmental
Organization</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://kaos.erin.gov.au/other_servers/region/server_region.html";
ADD_DATE="836772501" LAST_VISIT="836772476"
LAST_MODIFIED="836772476">Environmental Information Servers by
Region</A>
<LI><A 
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ADD_DATE="831870709" LAST_VISIT="834373218"
LAST_MODIFIED="834373218">Ecology Action</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.foe.co.uk/"; ADD_DATE="848784760"
LAST_VISIT="848784747" LAST_MODIFIED="848784747">Friends of the Earth
Home Page</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://boris.qub.ac.uk/cvni/info.html";
ADD_DATE="836772733" LAST_VISIT="836772705"
LAST_MODIFIED="836772705">Environmental information</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.ns.doe.ca/udo/primer3.html";
ADD_DATE="835571684" LAST_VISIT="835571621"
LAST_MODIFIED="835571621">Environment Canada</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.gn.apc.org/"; ADD_DATE="812858961"
LAST_VISIT="812858924" LAST_MODIFIED="812858924">GreenNet Home
Page</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.well.com/user/cmty/geo/"; ADD_DATE="836092409"
LAST_VISIT="836092362" LAST_MODIFIED="836092362">Gaia Education
Outreach Institute</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.glen.co.uk/rc/eco/contents.html";
ADD_DATE="837398992" LAST_VISIT="837399257"
LAST_MODIFIED="837399257">Highland ECO Centre - Whats in it?</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://155.187.10.12/net/environment.html";
ADD_DATE="836772606" LAST_VISIT="836772541"
LAST_MODIFIED="836772541">Other Biodiversity and Environmental
Servers</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Org_Institutes/../Org_Institutes/Rodale_Institute_14582.html";
ADD_DATE="831917191" LAST_VISIT="831917130"
LAST_MODIFIED="831917130">Rodale Institute Research Center</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.sierraclub.org/"; ADD_DATE="824619110"
LAST_VISIT="824618481" LAST_MODIFIED="824618481">Sierra Club Home
Page</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://zgdv.igd.fhg.de/www/zgdv-uig/www/site_list/index.html";
ADD_DATE="836753861" LAST_VISIT="836753858"
LAST_MODIFIED="836753858">The 20000 Servers List</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.nmt.edu/~jjenks/engineering.html";
ADD_DATE="836772953" LAST_VISIT="836772939"
LAST_MODIFIED="836772939">The World-Wide Web Virtual Library:
Environmental Engineering</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.tvnet.com/tv/us/co/kusa.html";
ADD_DATE="827010114" LAST_VISIT="827010075"
LAST_MODIFIED="827010075">TV Net -- KUSA Denver, CO</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.capecod.net/conservation/docs/bio_thrm.html";
ADD_DATE="836773974" LAST_VISIT="836773911"
LAST_MODIFIED="836773911">The Conservation Consortium</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.ub2.lu.se/eel/ei/454.2.html";
ADD_DATE="836772796" LAST_VISIT="836772777"
LAST_MODIFIED="836772777">454.2 Environmental Impact and
Protection</A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.koan.net/nexus/Permaculture/HTML/permaculture-data.html";>Index
to permaculture resources - by type </A>
<LI><A HREF="http://nornet.nor.com.au/environment/perma/";>Permaculture
International Homepage </A>
<LI><A 
HREF="http://www.latrobe.edu.au/nexus/Permaculture/HTML/permaculture-data.html#individuals";>Permaculture
resources on the Internet </A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.eat-it.com/edible.htm";>Edible Landscaping </A>
<L1><A HREF="http://www.mother.com/fourwinds/how2grow.htm";>Four winds</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.liv.ac.uk/~rmorris/pfaf/Links.html#PERM";>Plants
for a future </A>
<LI><A HREF="http://www.liv.ac.uk/~rmorris/pfaf/index.html";>Permaculture
Links </A>
<LI><A HREF="http://csf.colorado.edu/perma/";>Permaculture Resources at CSF</A>
<LI><A HREF="http://metalab.unc.edu/permaculture";>Permaculture Resources</A>

<><><><><><><><><><>


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/permaculturehttp://metalab.unc.edu/intergardenhttp://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/orgfarm/bioremediationhttp://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/orgfarm/permaculturehttp://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/orgfarm/aquaculturehttp://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/orgfarm/hyperaccumulationhttp://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/orgfarm/vermiculturehttp://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/orgfarm/compostinghttp://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/orgfarm/literaturehttp://metalab.unc.edu/intergarden/rural-skills


<><><><>


>From lflondon@mindspring.com Sun Feb 11 12:05:23 2001
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From: lflondon@mindspring.com
To: permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu
Subject: (fwd) Grey Water
Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001 12:05:23 -0500
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On Sun, 11 Feb 2001 12:38:30 +1100, in alt.permaculture "Paul"
<tnt@apex.net.au> 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
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From: lflondon@mindspring.com
To: permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu
Subject: (fwd) Re: Grey Water
Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 01:16:52 -0500
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On Sun, 11 Feb 2001 21:15:02 GMT, in alt.permaculture "Reedbed"
<reedbed@gofree.indigo.ie> wrote:


gardenlen <gardenlen@hotmail.com> 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" <haigja@optushome.com.au>
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
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Subject: (fwd) Re: Grey Water
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 15:26:29 -0500
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On Mon, 12 Feb 2001 10:52:26 GMT, in alt.permaculture "Reedbed"
<reedbed@gofree.indigo.ie> wrote:


Haig <haigja@optushome.com.au> 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"
<haigja@optushome.com.au> 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
<ehrebeniuk@optushome.com.au> wrote:

In article <981855363.171581@draal2.apex.net.au>, "Paul"=20
<tnt@apex.net.au> 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
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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"
> <tnt@apex.net.au> 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
>
> ---
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>From lflondon@mindspring.com Thu Feb 15 19:34:55 2001
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From: lflondon@mindspring.com
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Subject: (fwd) Re: Grey Water
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On Thu, 15 Feb 2001 23:21:07 GMT, in alt.permaculture "Reedbed"
<reedbed@gofree.indigo.ie> wrote:



Haig <haigja@optushome.com.au> 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
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Subject: Re: Grey Water
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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 <haigja@optushome.com.au> 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.