Constructed wetland maintenance - training

This training session has sold out - we are considering holding another session in July/August 2024, please add your name to the waitlist and we will be in touch soon.

Attendance numbers for this training are limited to 25

Learn about the science and function of constructed wetlands, and be guided through the application of Water Sensitive SA’s Inspection and Maintenance Guidelines – Wetlands, before putting it all into practice undertaking a field assessment of the beautiful First Creek wetlands. You will also have a chance to test the theory against your own case study wetland.

Learning objective

To assist participants build their capacity for maintaining constructed wetlands to optimise water quality outcomes, essential ecosystems service provision, amenity enhancement and public space integration.

Who should attend?

• Local Government asset managers
• Landscape architects
• Maintenance crews
• Supervisors/managers responsible for maintenance of WSUD assets
• Others interested in the maintenance of WSUD assets

Course content

01 – Introduction

• Changes to Greater Adelaide landscape since colonisation
• The role of constructed wetlands in landscapes
• Ecosystem services provision

02 – Functional components

• Form and function of constructed wetland components
• Macrophyte (wetland plant) form and function
• The problems with sediment

03 – Maintenance planning

• Maintenance planning tasks
• Routine inspections using Water Sensitive SA guidelines and condition assessment tools and e-forms
• Performance indicators and water quality targets
• Sediment basin maintenance
• Macrophyte zone maintenance
• Troubleshooting
• Forward planning for maintenance

04 – Field application

• Inspect functional components of the First Creek Wetlands and complete the relevant forms.

Core competencies attained

This course will provide a foundational understanding of the need for routine inspection and maintenance of these highly valuable assets, and provide tips for troubleshooting and maintenance planning in real-world constructed wetlands.

You will gain an understanding of:

• Constructed wetland systems – what they are and how they work (functional components) with reference to natural wetland form and function.
• Opportunities for constructed wetlands to provide greater water re-use, amenity, landscape services and ecological value through proactive operations and maintenance.
• Pre-treatment systems and their maintenance regimes, including knowing when and how to de-silt sediment basins.
• Maintenance of inlets, including high-flow bypass structures, and outlet structures, weirs and other structures
• Different types of wetland plants (macrophytes), their functions in constructed wetlands and tips for establishing and maintaining native plants based on this understanding.
• Strategies for minimising the presence of pest fauna and flora species, including environmental weeds, algae and overabundant native species.
• Managing the water regime within the wetland complex to enhance ecological function and water quality treatment performance (if operationally possible).
• Developing targets for wetland performance based on indicators of water quality and ecological health with a focus on turbidity as a catchment scale target.
• Monitoring and interpreting results for required wetland performance requirements, e.g. discharge to receiving waters, injection into aquifer for managed aquifer recharge scheme.
• Safe work protocols for constructed wetland maintenance and operations.