Going Beyond Carbon Footprint: Elements of Sustainability for Treatment Wetlands and Design Implications

Climate change driven by the accumulation of greenhouse gases (GHG) is an urgent concern around the globe, and water utilities are increasingly interested in working toward carbon neutrality to reduce their impacts. Broader considerations of sustainability are also rapidly increasing in importance. Rising energy costs and the possibility of ancillary ecological benefits are elevating treatment wetlands (TW) as an economically and ecologically attractive alternative to conventional treatment. A greater understanding of GHG and sustainability considerations is needed to evaluate TW as an alternative to meet water quality goals.