Abstract
Wastewater from domestic developments, farms and agro-industrial processing can be sources of pollution in the environment; current wastewater management methods are usually machine-based, and thus energy consuming. When Permaculture Principles are used in the creation of water purification and harvesting systems, there can be multiple environmental and economic benefits. In the context of energy descent, it may be considered desirable to treat wastewater using minimal energy. The constructed wetland design presented here is a low-entropy system in which wastewater is harvested and transformed into lush and productive wetland, eliminating the requirement for non-renewable energy in water purification, and also maximising benefits: biodiversity, flood resilience and yield. In permaculture design, the high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorous compounds in sewage are viewed as valuable nutrients, resources to be harvested by a constructed wetland ecosystem and converted into useful yield. Similarly, rainwater runoff is not viewed as a problem which can cause flooding, but as a potential resource to be harvested to provide a yield. This paper presents a case study, with both water quality and productivity data, from Brookside Farm UK, where the use of Permaculture Design Principles has created a combined wastewater management and purification system, accepting all site water.
Highlights
The Ecological Imperative and Permaculture Design PrinciplesWetland Ecosystem Treatment (WET) Systems are soil-based, multi-species, low-entropy systems for purifying wastewater
The evolution of the WET System methodology is a response to concerns about global changes in climate and local weather patterns, biodiversity loss, and the future constraints of energy descent [1]
The chief aim of this paper is to describe the establishment and quantify the performance of the 3-year old WET System at Brookside Farm, a large privately owned smallholding in Warwickshire, UK
Summary
The Ecological Imperative and Permaculture Design Principles. Wetland Ecosystem Treatment (WET) Systems are soil-based, multi-species, low-entropy systems for purifying wastewater. Each design is site specific, using for construction the earth resources available on site or locally. Permaculture Design Principles are used to design WET Systems for a number of reasons. There are many opportunities to create integrated solutions, using information, elements and technologies already available. Permaculture design is a positive design philosophy, and the Principles behind it recognise that the damage done to Earth’s ecosystems can be repaired. Permaculture design can create regenerative systems to supply a multitude of ecosystem services without the need for non-renewable energy use. Permaculture Design Principles are used extensively in the design of WET Systems
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