Constructed wetlands for combined sewer overflow treatment: A state-of-the-art review

Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) are a major source of surface water pollution and degradation. This is particularly visible where sewage collection with combined sewer and centralized treatment are well established, such as in Europe and North America: an overwhelming number of surface water bodies are in insufficient status of ecology, hydrology and physico-chemical parameters. Therefore, several countries have started implementing constructed wetlands (CWs) as mainstream on-spot treatment. This paper summarizes the main design approaches that can be adopted. We identified eight different schemes for the implementation of CSO-CWs, based on our international experience and documented by a literature analysis. The performance review includes conventional water quality parameters, as well as pathogen and emergent contaminant removal. Furthermore, modelling tools for advanced design and for understanding a wide applicability of these green infrastructures are presented. This paper also provides a review on other side benefits offered by the adoption of Nature-Based Solutions for CSO treatment, such as ecosystem services, and the most common issues related to their operation and maintenance. Our analysis has produced a list of key factors for design and operation, all derived from full-scale installations in operation up to more than ten years.