Cost-Effectiveness of Treatment Wetlands for Nitrogen Removal in Tropical and Subtropical Australia

Treatment wetlands can reduce nitrogen (N) pollution in waterways. However, the shortage of information on their cost-effectiveness has resulted in their relatively slow uptake in tropical and subtropical Australia, including the catchments of the Great Barrier Reef and Moreton Bay. We assessed the...

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Autores principales:	Emad Kavehei, Syezlin Hasan, Carla Wegscheidl, Matthew Griffiths, James C. R. Smart, Carlos Bueno, Liz Owen, Kambez Akrami, Mel Shepherd, Scott Lowe, Maria Fernanda Adame
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	MDPI AG 2021
Materias:	cost-effectiveness metric eutrophication Great Barrier Reef macrophytes nitrogen total suspended solids Hydraulic engineering TC1-978 Water supply for domestic and industrial purposes TD201-500
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/384bcf0e5736489d8b87f8d73d0c9f1e
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:384bcf0e5736489d8b87f8d73d0c9f1e2021-11-25T19:16:45ZCost-Effectiveness of Treatment Wetlands for Nitrogen Removal in Tropical and Subtropical Australia10.3390/w132233092073-4441https://doaj.org/article/384bcf0e5736489d8b87f8d73d0c9f1e2021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/22/3309https://doaj.org/toc/2073-4441Treatment wetlands can reduce nitrogen (N) pollution in waterways. However, the shortage of information on their cost-effectiveness has resulted in their relatively slow uptake in tropical and subtropical Australia, including the catchments of the Great Barrier Reef and Moreton Bay. We assessed the performance of constructed treatment wetlands (CW) and vegetated drains (VD) that treat agricultural runoff, and of sewage treatment plant wetlands (STPW), which polish treated effluent. Treatment performance was estimated as changes in concentration (dissolved inorganic nitrogen, DIN, and total nitrogen, TN; mg L<sup>−1</sup>) and annual load reductions (kg N ha<sup>−1</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup>). We calculated their cost-effectiveness by comparing their N removal against the costs incurred in their design, construction, and maintenance. Overall, CWs and VDs reduced DIN concentrations by 44% (0.52 to 0.29 mg L<sup>−1</sup>), and STPW reduced them by 91% (2.3 to 0.2 mg L<sup>−1</sup>); STPWs also reduced TN concentrations by 72%. The efficiency varied among sites, with the best performing CWs and VDs being those with relatively high inflow concentrations (>0.2 mg L<sup>−1</sup> of DIN, >0.7 mg L<sup>−1</sup> of TN), low suspended solids, high vegetation cover and high length: width ratio. These high performing CWs and VDs removed N for less than USD 37 kg<sup>−1</sup> DIN (AUD 50 kg<sup>−1</sup> DIN), less than the end-of-catchment benchmark for the Great Barrier Reef of USD 110 kg<sup>−1</sup> DIN (AUD 150 kg<sup>−1</sup> DIN). When adequately located, designed, and managed, treatment wetlands can be cost-effective and should be adopted for reducing N in tropical and subtropical Australia.Emad KaveheiSyezlin HasanCarla WegscheidlMatthew GriffithsJames C. R. SmartCarlos BuenoLiz OwenKambez AkramiMel ShepherdScott LoweMaria Fernanda AdameMDPI AGarticlecost-effectiveness metriceutrophicationGreat Barrier Reefmacrophytesnitrogentotal suspended solidsHydraulic engineeringTC1-978Water supply for domestic and industrial purposesTD201-500ENWater, Vol 13, Iss 3309, p 3309 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	cost-effectiveness metric eutrophication Great Barrier Reef macrophytes nitrogen total suspended solids Hydraulic engineering TC1-978 Water supply for domestic and industrial purposes TD201-500
spellingShingle	cost-effectiveness metric eutrophication Great Barrier Reef macrophytes nitrogen total suspended solids Hydraulic engineering TC1-978 Water supply for domestic and industrial purposes TD201-500 Emad Kavehei Syezlin Hasan Carla Wegscheidl Matthew Griffiths James C. R. Smart Carlos Bueno Liz Owen Kambez Akrami Mel Shepherd Scott Lowe Maria Fernanda Adame Cost-Effectiveness of Treatment Wetlands for Nitrogen Removal in Tropical and Subtropical Australia
description	Treatment wetlands can reduce nitrogen (N) pollution in waterways. However, the shortage of information on their cost-effectiveness has resulted in their relatively slow uptake in tropical and subtropical Australia, including the catchments of the Great Barrier Reef and Moreton Bay. We assessed the performance of constructed treatment wetlands (CW) and vegetated drains (VD) that treat agricultural runoff, and of sewage treatment plant wetlands (STPW), which polish treated effluent. Treatment performance was estimated as changes in concentration (dissolved inorganic nitrogen, DIN, and total nitrogen, TN; mg L<sup>−1</sup>) and annual load reductions (kg N ha<sup>−1</sup> yr<sup>−1</sup>). We calculated their cost-effectiveness by comparing their N removal against the costs incurred in their design, construction, and maintenance. Overall, CWs and VDs reduced DIN concentrations by 44% (0.52 to 0.29 mg L<sup>−1</sup>), and STPW reduced them by 91% (2.3 to 0.2 mg L<sup>−1</sup>); STPWs also reduced TN concentrations by 72%. The efficiency varied among sites, with the best performing CWs and VDs being those with relatively high inflow concentrations (>0.2 mg L<sup>−1</sup> of DIN, >0.7 mg L<sup>−1</sup> of TN), low suspended solids, high vegetation cover and high length: width ratio. These high performing CWs and VDs removed N for less than USD 37 kg<sup>−1</sup> DIN (AUD 50 kg<sup>−1</sup> DIN), less than the end-of-catchment benchmark for the Great Barrier Reef of USD 110 kg<sup>−1</sup> DIN (AUD 150 kg<sup>−1</sup> DIN). When adequately located, designed, and managed, treatment wetlands can be cost-effective and should be adopted for reducing N in tropical and subtropical Australia.
format	article
author	Emad Kavehei Syezlin Hasan Carla Wegscheidl Matthew Griffiths James C. R. Smart Carlos Bueno Liz Owen Kambez Akrami Mel Shepherd Scott Lowe Maria Fernanda Adame
author_facet	Emad Kavehei Syezlin Hasan Carla Wegscheidl Matthew Griffiths James C. R. Smart Carlos Bueno Liz Owen Kambez Akrami Mel Shepherd Scott Lowe Maria Fernanda Adame
author_sort	Emad Kavehei
title	Cost-Effectiveness of Treatment Wetlands for Nitrogen Removal in Tropical and Subtropical Australia
title_short	Cost-Effectiveness of Treatment Wetlands for Nitrogen Removal in Tropical and Subtropical Australia
title_full	Cost-Effectiveness of Treatment Wetlands for Nitrogen Removal in Tropical and Subtropical Australia
title_fullStr	Cost-Effectiveness of Treatment Wetlands for Nitrogen Removal in Tropical and Subtropical Australia
title_full_unstemmed	Cost-Effectiveness of Treatment Wetlands for Nitrogen Removal in Tropical and Subtropical Australia
title_sort	cost-effectiveness of treatment wetlands for nitrogen removal in tropical and subtropical australia
publisher	MDPI AG
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/384bcf0e5736489d8b87f8d73d0c9f1e
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Cost-Effectiveness of Treatment Wetlands for Nitrogen Removal in Tropical and Subtropical Australia

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