Exceeding tertiary standards with a pond/reed bed system in Norway.

At Vidaråsen in Norway sewage from a community consisting of 160 people, including a dairy, a food processing workshop, a bakery and a laundry is treated using a pond/reed bed system. The system consists of sludge settlement, pre-treatment surface/vertical-flow constructed wetlands, a 5 m deep enhanced facultative pond, three stabilization ponds, a planted sand filter and finally two horizontal-flow constructed wetlands filled with lightweight aggregate (Filtralite-P). The enhanced facultative pond and the primary stabilization pond are equipped with Flowform-cascades, which provide year-round aeration, rhythmical treatment and mixing of wastewater in the ponds. Treatment performance during the first five years has been high and unaffected by harsh winter conditions. Average phosphorus discharge from the system is 0.25 mg/l with total nitrogen 4 mg/l, total organic carbon (TOC) 5 mg/l and thermo-tolerant coliforms < 100/100 ml. The system is ecologically diverse and supports abundant populations of higher aquatic life such as ducks, amphibians and carp.