Naturalization of treated wastewater by a constructed wetland in a water-scarce Mediterranean region.

The effluents from conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), even if accomplishing quality regulations, substantially differ in their characteristics with those of waters in natural environments. Constructed wetlands (CWs) serve as transitional ecosystems within WWTPs, mitigating these differences and restoring natural features before water is poured into the natural environment. Our study focused on an experimental surface-flow CW naturalizing the WWTP effluent in a semiarid area in Eastern Spain.