Efficiency of a small artificial wetland with an industrial urban catchment

The efficiency of a small artificial wetland in Walter Park, in an industrial urban area in the City of Lake Macquarie, Australia, was examined by monitoring lead levels and suspended solids contents in the water. The location was adjacent to a main road and near a lead–zinc smelter. Samples taken from the sediment were subjected to selective chemical extraction procedures to investigate the behaviour of lead in the sediment and mechanisms of lead removal in the wetland. The wetland was relatively effective in removing lead and suspended solids, except for heavy flows. The removal of lead in the wetland was attributed to sedimentary processes, adsorption of lead on exchange sites and lead bound to the carbonate and oxidizable phases.