Constructed wetlands

"S" shaped constructed wetland

At the headwaters of Frenchman's Creek in Dartmouth, a wetland was constructed to treat stormwater runoff from the adjacent sports fields and parking lot. The wetland has a serpentine shape and varying depths in order to maximize residence time of the runoff in the wetland. This allows for increased removal of nutrients and metals through plant uptake and adsorption. This stormwater treatment feature essentially acts as a kidney purifying the water. The runoff leaving this site now enters the natural environment at a much higher quality than it would if directly released without treatment. 

This wetland would require occasional maintenance to maximize function. Construction was done by Jeff Pinhey and Rob Leblanc in 2007. 

The marsh is predominantly vegetated with cattails