FOAM: a genius idea

When the problem is big, the solution needs to be bigger and better. The problem we are talking about here is the waste water treatment. It may seem whats the big deal in this but let me inform you that sewage (waste water) is produced in a tremendous amount on a daily basis from homes and industries, containing bacteria, fungi , parasites and viruses which nodoubtedly are very harmful. The major challenges faced while operating waste water treatment are consumption of energy and Evironmental footprint. When the waste water cannot be treated properly due to this reasons, it leads to wastewater and its effluents being discharged into surface water sources, and these sources often being used for domestic purposes, this is how waste water becoming a massive problem!

There came an innovative idea by a citizen group constituting of local people of Arcata city in California. They collaborated with the biologist from Humboldt University and developed a series of 6 connected marshes over 60 hectares of land. The biologists grow specific (seeded) plants, fungi, bacteria in 6 different marshes, which can absorb, neutralise or assimilate toxic pollutants.

The treatment system serves a population of 16,000, as wastewater flows through a series of ingeniously constructed ponds and wetlands.

Process of water purification in Arcata performed in two stages. The first step is a natural process consisting of sedimentation, filtration and chlorination of water. Even after this step, lots of dangerous pollutants like dissolved heavy metals are still remaining in water.

 

So after sedimentation, filtration, and chlorination, the water is passed through a series of six marshes created over 60 hectares of marshland.A series of oxidation ponds, treatment wetlands and enhancement marshes are used to filter sewage waste. The marshes are covered with appropriate fungi, algae, and plants are grown, which marks the role of absorbing and neutralising toxic pollutants by fungi and bacteria , making the water ultimately pure. 

 Many organisms started colonising in the marshes, making it a unique habitat for animals including fishes and birds. As the result of this establishment, a biodiversity sanctuary was stabilised there and was protected by the local people of the marshes. Hence marshes also serve as a wildlife refuge on the Pacific Flyway and was given the name FRIEND OF ARCATA MARSHES- FOAM!

 The Arcata Marsh is a popular destination for birders. The marsh has been awarded the Innovations in Government award from the Ford Foundation/Harvard Kennedy School. Numerous holding pools in the marsh, called "lakes," are named after donors and citizens who helped start the marsh project, including Humboldt State University professors George Allen and Robert A. Gearheart who were instrumental in the creation of the Arcata Marsh. Despite being effectively a sewer, the series of open-air lakes do not smell, and are a popular destination for birdwatching, cycling and jogging.