Hydrology of Wetland Treatment Systems in East Orange County, Florida

Wetlands are increasingly being used as final treatment systems for industrial and domestic wastewater effluent discharges and stormwater runoff discharges. Hydrological monitoring and management of wetlands can enhance the treatment performance of the wetlands. In this study, water budgets were determined from field monitoring data to describe the hydrology of two wetland treatment systems in east Orange County, Florida. The water budget developed for each wetland treatment system is compared with a regional steady-state water budget using a ground water flow model. The location of the subject wetland treatment systems and the areal extent of the regional groundwater flow model are presented. The hydrology of the wetland treatment systems are characterized in terms of evapotranspiration, surface water outflow, groundwater outflow, hydraulic gradients and storage volumes.