Performance of different types of vegetation in wetland systems for wastewater treatment: Life-size test in La Almunia de Doña Godina

In 2018, the wastewater treated in Aragón was around 89%, and the other 11% included a great part of the Aragon' villages. Almost 1,400 villages out of a total of 1,505 villages in Aragon have less than 1,000 inhabitants representing only 14% of the population. The construction of a conventional treatment system is economically unfeasible for them and they have to look for a better solution. Our project arises in this framework, a life-size test to help the regional wastewater authorities in the selection of the best solution for small villages for a low-cost treatment plant based on wetlands. To carry out this project, a wetland pilot treatment plant has been built, in real scale, in the WWTP of La Almunia de Doña Godina (Zaragoza) for 50 inhabitants. The test treatment plant is designed for the minimal maintenance and management necessities and with a minimal investment in infrastructure. The operation of the pilot plant shows the relationships of the pollutants for an effective treatment, the bulrush optimal answer in the first line of the ponds and the minimum infrastructure requirements for a good performance.