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| ... Website in construction, thank you for your patience ... Pagina Web en construcción, gracias para su paciencia ... Site en construction, merci pour votre patience ... |
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Photos and applicability in...CommunitiesWASTEWATER GARDENS® can also be applied to larger populations, such as community or village/town scale projects. There are numerous examples in the United States for example of subsurface flow wetlands treating wastewater of populations of up to 20,000 people, involving millions of liters or gallons of wastewater daily. In these cases, the WASTEWATER GARDENS® can be scaled in size for a single-treatment area, or the problems can be solved with a series of decentralized, regional WASTEWATER GARDENS® to minimize the cost and extent of pumping and piping and to take maximal advantage of gravity flow. Emu Creek (Gulgagulganeng) near Kununurra, West Australia and Joy Springs community near Fitzroy Crossing, West AustraliaIn 2002, 3 WASTEWATER GARDENS® units were installed to solve the health and environmental problems caused by wastewater at the Emu Creek aboriginal community in Kununurra, Western Australia of fifty people and in 2004, and 5 five WASTEWATER GARDENS were installed to solve sewage problems at houses at the Joy Springs community, Fitzroy Crossing, West Australia. Problems that had to be solved & Solutions provided: Houses at both communities were situated on low ground, subject to soil inundation during the rainy season; as a consequence, normal leachdrain disposal after septic tanks failed and sewage water was present on the surface of the ground, causing ill-health, odor, and environmental degradation by the fouling of groundwater and surface water. Furthermore, the community being smaller and the houses being scattered, it made pumping to a centralized sewage treatment plant uneconomic. In addition to servicing technical and economical needs (cost saving compared to a centralized sewage treatment plant was considerable), both communities have been greened and beautified using the treated wastewater. Since the community has been instructed on how their WASTEWATER GARDENS® function, the people have now a better understanding of the consequences of water usage in the community. Water quality tests have demonstrated the high degree of water treatment already being achieved in the first two years after installation (e.g. around 90% reduction in BOD (organic compounds), suspended solids and 60-80% reductions in nutrients). Stakeholder Participation: Another benefit of this community-based Wastewater treatment was the involvement of the communities themselves, as it was the residents of Emu Creek (Gulgagulganeng) and Joy Springs who, upon consultation, chose the approach:
Emu Creek (Gulgagulganeng) near Kununurra, West Australia - 50 people, 3 WWG units  Emu Creek Stakeholders and planning meeting  Emu Creek Artist resident  One of Emu Creek's 3 newly installed and planted WWG for 50 people  Paperbark trees - sign of high water table at the community  One of the three WWG  Initial WWG growing stage  Maturing plants  After three months of growth (in September 2002)    Dream Time Paintings by community artists on WWG Control Boxes Joy Springs Aboriginal Community5 houses fitted with WWG treatment Units four with inverted leachdrains for wet season operation and further greening of community  One of the Wastewater Gardens at Joy Springs (left) shortly after planting in July 2004. At right, an inverted leachdrain prior to planting to enable operation of wastewater systems even when community has flooding during wet season. Mangrove Action Project community center in Tiwoho, North Sulawesi, IndonesiaA first WASTEWATER GARDEN® in North Sulawesi, using mangrove species, was designed and constructed in 2003. This WASTEWATER GARDEN® system serves as an educational tool by demonstrating the diversity and usefulness of Indonesian mangroves, amongst the most biodiverse mangrove ecosystems in the world. The system replicates mangrove zonation from coastal to back mangrove ecology. In addition, it will showcase mangroves used locally for traditional medicines, fibre, food and fuelwood. Our strategy for the Mangrove Action Project sites around the world is to use a wide variety of mangrove species (true mangroves and mangrove associates), ranging from shallow-rooted back mangrove species to deep-rooted trees found throughout all major mangrove zones. The use of a wide range of plants - and subsequently a diversity of root systems - helps to oxygenate the subsurface environment and thereby to support microbial life which enhances the performance of the WWG system. The use of a wide range of species also mitigates impact on system performance should disease or insects affect one species. The ability of WWG to support the life of a wide range of wetland species is illustrated by its capacity to showcase the importance and richness of North Sulawesi mangroves.   Initial planting of mangrove species in July 2004 at Tiwoho, north Sulawesi. Growth of the mangroves species in December 2004. The Wastewater Garden serves a community centre for bamboo utilization implemented by the Mangrove Action Project. |
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