My specialty is constructed wetlands for water quality improvement. In many situations, steel and concrete water treatment facilities are not the best solution. With proper engineering, wetland functions can often be enhanced to cleanse water at lower cost, and to a higher degree than typical waste water treatment systems. Specialized or small applications are particularly good candidates for this kind of engineering, although large scale projects are often successful as well.

As an environmental engineer, I helped in the design, and coordinated the construction of a quarter-acre treatment wetland at Matthaei Botanical Garden (MBG), Ann Arbor, Michigan. Drain water (not sewage) from the conservatory and greenhouses, and run-off from the roof and parking areas was flowing into a beautiful, undeveloped creek. By inserting a small wetland into the space between the drain and creek, potential contamination of the creek is avoided.

Here's what the site looked like during it's first spring, 1996.

In 1997, you can see the wetland is much more mature.

Plants in wetlands perform many cleansing functions. Some substances are actually transformed to less harmful ones, while others are "compartmentalized," removing them from the water column or from contact with animals and humans. Microbes associated with plant roots also perform transformations.

Monitoring of the wetland functions is ongoing to determine the effectiveness of the treatment.

great blue heron, baby mallards, and monarch caterpillar on swamp milkweed

Carex tribuloides, Iris versicolor, Carex retrorsa, Caltha palustris, Cecropia moth, and Juncus tenuis

The wetland can be crossed, and observed from a fully accessible trail. Development, planting, and interpretation of the site will continue over the course of the next several years. Right now things are frozen, but in the spring it will be exciting to see what comes to life with each new week.

Matthaei Botanical Garden is a research arm of the University of Michigan. It is open to the public year round. The conservatory is divided into tropical, temperate, and desert rooms which provide a welcome wave of living warmth in winter. During summer months outdoor gardens feature perennials, wildflowers, roses, and blooms to attract butterflies. There is a formal annual garden, a shade garden, and a knot herb garden. Over 4 miles of trails are open for summer strolls. A gift shop and continuing education courses are also offered.

link checked and working 9/2/00
There is now an official web page for Matthaei Botanical Garden.