Evaluation of catchment filter pilot study in Shanxi, China

• Department of Water Resources, China

In Australia, the Land-FILTER (Filtration and Irrigated cropping for Land Treatment and Effluent Reuse) technique was developed and field-tested for treatment and reuse of primary/secondary treated sewage effluent, on soils with impeded drainage. Appropriate management can provide adequate pollutant removal in subsurface drainage water and ensure the system's long-term sustainability. An earlier project (LWR/2002/113) at Datong in Shanxi Province clearly demonstrated the two-dimensional Land-FILTER technology could be modified into the three-dimensional Catchment-FILTER approach for wastewater renovation and reuse in the northern China provinces. The modification better suited the region's more permeable, freely-draining soils, very cold winter conditions and wet summers which diminish the need for wastewater irrigation. The Shanxi Province wastewater management authorities have now obtained central government funding to install a pilot project of the catchment-FILTER technology, and this new activity is allowing collaboration between the wastewater management authorities and Australian researchers, to ensure the best field application of the FILTER technology in Shanxi.