Author(s): Jiaqi Liu; Francesco Bregoli; Wim Uijttewaal; Giulio Calvani; Dominika Krzeminska; Anne-Grete B. Blankenberg; Michael Mcclain

Linked Author(s): Jiaqi Liu, Wim S.J. Uijttewaal

Keywords: Constructed wetland; Process-based model; Vegetated flow; Suspended sediment transport; Delft3D

Abstract: Constructed wetlands may be implemented to abate suspended sediment concentration in streams draining agricultural catchments as well as in urban sewage systems. Since the interactions between flow, sediment and vegetation are complex, optimization of constructed wetlands is still poorly performed. With the objective of improving the filtering efficiency by design, in this preliminary study, we investigate the use of a numerical model to reproduce the processes occurring in free-surface flow constructed wetlands. To this effect, we selected the Skuterud constructed wetland, located south of Oslo, Norway, and we reproduced it in the process- based model Delft 3D. The model is calibrated and validated against the measured outflow sediment concentration. Then, we set up scenarios with various vegetation and sediment input characteristics to find optimal solutions in terms of filtration efficiency. In this ongoing work, the results are expected to show relationships among vegetation and sediment characteristics, and filtration efficiency, allowing identification of optimal vegetation configurations under specific sediment input conditions.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64697/iahr.proc.ise2026.abs.334

Year: 2026