Case study: Design, operation and water quality management of a combined wet and dry pond system

Pond structures as cost-effective water treatment, storage and "source control" drainage techniques can be applied in order to reduce wastewater treatment costs, produce water for subsequent recycling and reduce the risk of downstream flooding. However, there is a need for detailed design, operation and maintenance data. The purpose of this study was to optimise design and operation guidelines, and to assess the water treatment potential of stormwater pond systems. Performance data (15 months) for a stormwater pond pilot plant were collected. The system is based on a combined silt trap, attenuation wet pond and dry pond system applied for drainage of roof water run-off from a single domestic property. United Kingdom Building Research Establishment and Construction Industry Research and Information Association, and German Association for Water, Wastewater and Waste design guidelines were tested. These design guidelines were insufficient because they do not consider local hydrological and soil conditions. The infiltration function for the dry pond is logarithmic and depends on the season. Furthermore, biochemical and physical algal control techniques were successfully applied, and passive water treatment of rainwater run-off with a wet pond was found to be sufficient. However, seasonal and diurnal variations of biochemical oxygen demand, dissolved oxygen and pH were recorded. Finally, capital and labour costs for small ponds are high.