Effluent coliform concentrations (103e104 coliforms/100 mL)
achieved in the wetland system of the present study are also
comparable with activated sludge systems in a literature study with
1.25 103e5 104 total coliforms/100 mL and 6 102e1.1 104
fecal coliforms/100 mL in the effluent (Arslan-Alaton et al., 2007).
However, despite the high removal efficiencies, the effluent coliform
numbers in the present study were found to fluctuate drastically
(Fig. 2) and were still high. Disinfection may be required in
the case of discharge to a receiving water media.
The effluent of the system was also evaluated in terms of its
potential for reuse in agricultural irrigation according to the criteria
(Table 5) defined by Turkish declaration on “Wastewater Treatment
Plants Technical Procedures”, in which Class A involves the irrigation
of urban recreational areas and non-processed agricultural
products whereas Class B involves irrigation of commercially processed
agricultural products. Table 5 shows that effluent