What is a REED BED filter?

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Reed beds can be used to treat domestic sewage; this involves first removing large solid material, or turning it into liquid (e.g. in a septic tank), and then passing the liquid portion of the sewage through one or more reed beds. The resulting water discharge is clean.

In simple terms they are a hole that holds water, it is filled with gravel and/or sand or soil, and planted with aquatic plants. Dirty water flows in at one point and clean water out at another.

Two main types exist:
Vertical Flow Reed Beds (VFRBs): These can receive a high volume of sewage. The liquids flow over the surface and then percolate downwards and out. They are full of air spaces even when in use, so VFRBs are good at oxygenating water. More than one VFRB bed is necessary so that one bed can rest while another is in use.
Horizontal Flow Reed Beds (HFRBs): These can receive only a low volume of sewage. The liquid flows through the bed horizontally, beneath the surface of the gravel. Because the sewage fills all the spaces between the gravel, HFRBs are not good at oxygenating water. They can, however, be used continuously, so only one is required.

The use of reed beds always requires some means of dealing with the solids. Septic tanks are good at removing solids, but the effluent cannot be discharged close to a watercourse. By situating a reed bed after the septic tank, solids are removed and situating a reed bed after the septic tank efficiently cleans the water cleaned to required standards.

Most sewage treatment systems only partially treat the sewage. Reed beds are frequently a cost-effective way of cleaning the water more thoroughly. At the same time they have an aesthetic appeal absent from most other sewage treatment methods and can provide a refuge for wildlife.


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