Compact Vertical Flow Reed Beds

With the aim of increasing the acceptability of vertical flow reed bed technology, some design and construction  modifications were implemented in the traditional vertical flow beds.
These kind of vertical beds, named COMPACT  are characterised by the following differences :

- Comprise a single bed; no parallel beds or beds in series
- Bed resting period is limited to the interval between influent doses
- Sand layer is relatively deep, being the majority of the bed matrix.



A compact vertical bed was established in April 2000 for sewage treatment to serve two households (Will’s Barn & Willow Farmhouse, Chipstable, Somerset, UK). The system serving a total of 8pe comprised:
- Aquatron separator and composting chamber (Grant et al, 1996)
- gravity-operated dosing device and dosing tank
- vertical reed bed 
-  final pond 
- sample chamber and overflow discharge to willows planted area.



Nutrient Removal
The Total Nitrogen removal was very high . Phosphate too was removed from
solution to a relatively high degree (Jun-Aug00 average: 93.3% decrease). The observations of amphibian development in the receiving pond provide an immediate, ongoingbiological indication of the CVF effluent quality.



Here three photos of the compacted vertical bed build and studied by Christopher M. Weedon:

an overview of the TW.. looks wery good in the countryside!!!

summer aspect of the above TW

the distribution pipe above the compact vertical flow bed

...thaks a lot Chris!


(this text is part of an article originally wrote by Christopher M Weedon - Watercourse Systems Ltd: COMPACT VERTICAL FLOW REED BEDS – DESIGN RATIONALE AND EARLY PERFORMANCE)