Concerning the bacteriological analysis, the removal efficiency of total coliforms (TC), faecal coliforms (FC) and faecal streptococci (FS) varied within a very wide range. The mean seasonal percentages of removal for each of the measured parameters (TC, FC and FS) are shown in Tables 6 and 7. As can be seen in Table 6 during the first year, no significant relationship between the removal of these parameters and the hydraulic application rate was observed. However, in the second year of wetland operation, both in cattail and reed beds, the best removal efficiency was found in those beds with
the lowest hydraulic application rate (75 mm day1) and the longest retention times (3 days) (see Table 7). This is in accordance with results obtained by other authors(Vecchiet & Jodice, 2000; Mandi et al., 1998).