Chapter 8:

THE SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE:

Working towards biodiversity and sound ecological principles

Background:
Sustainable Site Design:
Objectives
To reduce and minimize negative impacts as a result of site selection
to reduce and minimize negative site impacts as a result of the site development and its
buildings
most sites would be better off without buildings and their loads

Site Selection: Objectives and Strategies

Favour infill development over greenfield sites
provide compact and dense development
reuse and renovate existing buildings
Choose a site within walking distance from a transit system
plan and design the development or building to include mixed-uses and high densities
encourage on-site pedestrian circulation
provide secure indoor/outdoor bicycle parking (and change facilities)
reduce the amount of impervious paved materials
provide paving surfaces when paving is required
provide biofilter permeable swales for parking lot drainage

Site Impacts:
Objective: Miminize the negative site impacts from a building
site disturbance
erosion and sediment deposits
water pollution
loss of landscape
creation of heat islands
light pollution

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Reducing Site Impacts:
Rainwater is natural and should be dispersed and absorbed on the site
avoid curbs and culverts
avoid asphalt; use gravel or other pervious materials instead
contour parking lots around trees and the existing natural grade. Parking lots need not
be flat
save every tree possible
plant two trees for every one cut down to accommodate the new construction

Landscape and Exterior Design:

Objective: to protect the natural habitat and to provide biodiversity within the interior
and exterior landscape
facilitate on-site water management
reduce heat-island effects
provide seasonal solar control
incorporate landscape design solutions using no irrigation or water efficient irrigation
plant evergreens around the north, east and west sides of building to protect from wind
and provide shade
plant deciduous trees at south, southeast and southwest sides to provide shade in
summer and sunlight in winter
use drought tolerant native and non native plants

On Site Water Management Alternatives:

Constructed Wetland:
A wetland constructed for the purpose of pollution control and waste management. The
flow rate, residence time and other factors are controlled to enhance the removal of BOD,
SS, and N. A waterproof barrier is usually placed below the substrate to isolate the
wastewater form the groundwater. Plants such as cattails, bulrushes and reeds provide a
dense cover and an oxygenating substrate for bacteria in the root zone. Harvesting plant
material is not required for treatment success.

The Living Machine:

Living Machines accelerate nature's own water purification process. Unlike chemically
based systems, Living Machines incorporate helpful bacteria, plants, snails and fish that
thrive by breaking down and digesting organic pollutants. Wastewater treatment takes
place through a series of differently managed environments, a diversity of organisms that
eat the waste in the water.

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It will treat BOD, TSS (total suspended solids), Nitrogen, Oil and grease.
BOD is Biochemical Oxygen Demand. Decomposing organics require oxygen. The
BOD5 test measures the oxygen consumed by organisms as they decompose organics
over a five-day period. BOD is thus an indicator of the concentration of organics in
water.

Step 1:
The Anerobic Reactor:

Wastewater flows from a client's facility into a basic anaerobic reactor, much like a septic
tank but with features designed to enhance treatment. Without heating or mixing, this
reactor acts as a primary sedimentation basin. Solids settle and anaerobic bacteria, which
live without oxygen, feed on solids and wastes in the liquids. (ANEROBIC=NO AIR)

The anaerobic reactor is usually buried below grade. It is covered and gases produced are
passed through an activated carbon filter when necessary to control odor.

Step 2:
The Anoxic Zone:

The anoxic reactor is home to a 'transition' ecology. A small amount of oxygen is

introduced to the environment and the reactor is slightly mixed to enhance the growth of
microorganisms that convert nitrogen to nitrogen gas.
The reactor is mixed and has controlled aeration to keep the contents in the anoxic and
prevent anaerobic conditions. The gas space over the reactor is vented through an odor
control device, usually a planted biofilter.
Settled biosolids from the clarifier (step 5) are recycled back into the reactor along with
nitrified process water from the final open aerobic reactor (step 4 ). Attached growth
medium is placed in the compartment. This medium gives the bacteria and
microorganisms a place to attach themselves.

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Step 3:
Closed Aerobic Reactor:

The closed aerobic reactor is the first fully aerobic reactor in the Living Machine .
Aerators in the bottom of the tanks bubble air throughout the tank, keeping everything
mixed and providing oxygen for our waste-eating microorganisms.
Gases from the closed aerobic tank are captured and passed through a biofilter that traps
and degrades the odors. Generally, this biofilter sits directly over a portion of the reactor
and is planted with appropriate vegetation to help control moisture levels in the filter
material.
This reactor removes a large fraction of the BOD remaining in the wastewater, it is where
odorous gases are striped and the nitrification process begins, i.e., converts Kjeldahl
nitrogen (organic plus ammonia nitrogen) to nitrate.

Step 4:
Open Aerobic Reactors:

The open aerobic reactors represent the final process in the 'aerobic' portion of the Living
Machine.
The surfaces of these reactors are covered with vegetation supported by racks. The roots
of the vegetation provide surfaces for the growth of attached microbial populations that
assist in the wastewater treatment. The plants serve as habitat for beneficial insects and
organisms that graze on microbial biomass.
The plants used to cover the open aerobic reactors include tropical and sub-tropical
species that have been tested and found effective in treating wastewater as well as
providing an optimal habitat for the rest of the ecology.
These planted reactors are beautiful and make the Living Machine feel like a botanic
garden. Open aerobic reactors and 'polishing' reactors (step 6) set Living Machines
apart from all other wastewater treatment systems.

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Step 5:
The Clarifier:

In the clarifier, the microbial communities, and any remaining solids, are separated from
the treated water.
Calm, non-aerated, water allows the remaining biological solids to settle, then those
solids are pumped back to the closed aerobic reactor (step 3) where they are broken down
and metabolized further or are wasted to a holding vessel and removed for disposal.
To achieve zero discharge, a reed bed is added to compost the solids settled out of the
wastewater in the clarifier. The solids composted in a reed bed are removed every five to
ten years (depending on the size of the bed and the amount of solids being treated) and
often are used as a beneficial soil amendment for gardeners.
The green surface you see in the clarifier is duck weed and/or frog bit. This vegetation
shades out the sun and keeps algae from growing in the reactor.

Step 6:
Polishing Filters:

Polishing filters do the final 'cleansing' of the wastewater. In these reactors wastewater is
circulated through a combination of different habitats that are home to diverse
communities of organisms that remove organic material and nutrients.
One to three polishing filters in a series are used to reduce BOD, TSS and other
parameters to meet the final discharge requirements.
Provisions are made to back flush the medium periodically to remove excess biological
growth.
When the wastewater is discharged from the polishing filters it is suitable for reuse or for
disposal into surface waters or a reduced-area subsurface disposal system. Reuse options
include landscape irrigation, toilet flushing and vehicle washing.

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Aquaculture Ponds:
With aquaculture a series of cleansing ponds are constructed that treat the waste via
different means. Fish and water hyacinth plants eat aspects of the waste, ultimately
producing clean water. Unlike a constructed wetland, the aquaculture pond requires
careful maintenance. The water hyacinths must be harvested as not to overtake the pond
and cause an imbalance. The fish must be fed. The ponds are carefully stocked with a
variety of fish types, each serving a separate purpose in the mini eco-system.

Biofilter:
When rainwater falls on the earth, the layers of the earths surface form a natural filter
that cleanses the water. This only works when the water is slightly soiled. When water
contains more toxic waste products and solids, a better filtration method is required to
cleanse the water.

The Waterloo Biofilter is a patented trickle-filter type treatment system which uses an
innovative filter medium to treat residential and industrial wastewater. Wastewater is
sprayed intermittently onto the medium and is allowed to drain through by gravity.
Organic biomass grows quickly within the medium after start-up, oxidizing organic
material and nitrifying ammonia in the wastewater as it passes over the biomass layer.
Because the Biofilter medium is contained in a tank it is effective under all soil or
drainage conditions and substantially outperforms its nearest rival the sand filter bed.
Existing facilities are treating flows of less than 1000 L/day to more than 300,000 L/day
(250 to 90,000 gal/day). The Waterloo Biofilter is a great improvement to the
conventional septic system and can have optional add-ons to remove nitrogen,
phosphorus and pathogens.

How does a Biofilter Work?

The Waterloo Biofilter system is a single-pass aerobic biofilter designed for the
biological treatment of wastewater. The patented process utilizes an absorbent synthetic
filter medium designed to optimize the biological degradation of wastewater. Natural
microbial action in the filter medium is enhanced by its high porosity, large available
surface area, excellent airflow characteristics and ease of microbial attachment. The filter
medium has optimized flow characteristics that allow for high loading rate and compact
size. Allowable loading rates are typically 10 times greater than sand filters or soils. The
Biofilter typically removes 90-95% BOD, 85-98% TSS, 20-50% TN and 90-99%
coliform bacteria.

Biofilter: Above Ground Installations:

The Waterloo Biofilter can be installed above ground in an attractively clad 8' x 4' x 5'
insulated enclosure. This configuration maximizes the use of gravity flow and is suitable
for bedrock and shallow water table areas. Phosphorus removal modules are an option for
lakefront properties.

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Biofilter: Below Ground Installations:
The entire Waterloo Biofilter system can be "hidden" underground if desired. With this
configuration disposal to a shallow trench can be pressurized and is especially suitable
for heavy
clay soils.

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