Walking the Talk: Water Recycling & Energy Efficiency Intertwined at an Eco-Tourism Resort

The upcoming Point Molate Tribal Destination Resort in Richmond, California incorporated sustainability into the preliminary design by considering a constructed modular tidal wetland treatment system to achieve reclaimed quality water. Wetland treatment offers a low-tech natural approach requiring minimal energy, reclaimed grade water, and provides an ecoeducational attraction to guests. We evaluated the wetland treatment system in comparison with other mechanically driven plants. The wetland treatment system has the capacity to achieve BOD, TSS, and nutrient removal on par with mechanical plants (e.g., conventional activated sludge). The anticipated flows at Point Molate are on average 0.25 million gallons per day, which is an order of magnitude larger than other existing comparable tidal wetland treatment systems. The evaluation found a wetland treatment plant to be a viable technology in terms of treatment performance, but particular design emphasis should be placed on scalability, redundancy, and inerts build-up.