Applicability of a Septic Tank/Engineered Wetland Coupled System in the Treatment and Recycling of Wastewater from a Small Community

A septic tank (ST)/engineered wetland coupled system used to treat and recycle wastewater from a small community in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania was monitored to assess its performance. The engineered wetland system (EWS) had two parallel units each with two serial beds packed with different sizes of media and vegetated differently. The larger-sized medium bed was upstream and was planted with Phragmites (reeds) and the smaller-sized medium bed was downstream and was planted with Typha (cattails). The ST/EWS coupled system was able to remove ammonia by an average of 60%, nitrate by 71%, sulfate by 55%, chemical oxygen demand by 91%, and fecal coliform as well as total coliform by almost 100%. The effluent from the ST/EWS coupled system is used for irrigation. Notably, users of the recycled irrigation water do not harbor any negative feelings about it. This study demonstrates that it is possible to treat and recycle domestic wastewater using ST/EWS coupled systems. The study also brings attention to the fact that an ST/EWS coupled system has operation and maintenance (O&M) needs that must be fulfilled for its effectiveness and acceptability. These include removal of unwanted weeds, harvesting of wetland plants when the EWS becomes unappealingly bushy, and routine repair.