Q6
How did a citizen group called Friends of Arcata Marsh, Arcata, California, USA, help to improve water quality of the marshland using Integrated Waste Water Treatment ? Explain in four steps.
Solution
Wastewater including sewage can be treated in an integrated manner, by utilising a mix of artificialand natural processes. (a) The conventional sedimentation, filtering and chlorine treatments are given. After this stage, lots of dangerous pollutants like dissolved heavy metals still remain. (b) To combat this, an innovative approach was taken and the biologists developed a series of six connected marshes over 60 hectares of marshland. (c) Appropriate plants, algae, fungi and bacteria were seeded into this area, which neutralise, absorb and assimilatethepollutants.Hence,asthewaterflowsthroughthemarshes,itgetspurifiednaturally. (d) The marshes also constitute a sanctury, with a high level of biodiversity in the form of fishes, animals and birds.