Design of Storm-Water Retention Ponds with Floating Treatment Wetlands

Abstract

Experimental investigations undertaken to optimize the layout of floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) for maximum hydraulic performance of storm-water retention ponds are described. The study is the first to investigate how the arrangement of an FTW in a storm-water retention pond affects its hydraulic performance. The size, orientation, and arrangement of FTWs were investigated as well as the influence of inlet arrangements on the effects that the FTW has on the system hydraulics. For all the tests, the FTWs were positioned centrally across the width of the pond. The results show that FTWs can significantly improve the hydraulic performance of storm-water retention ponds. The hydraulic performance is shown to depend on the position, size, and placing arrangement of an FTW in the pond as well as the inlet arrangement.