The Evaluation of Metal Retention by a Constructed Wetland Using the Pulmonate Gastropod Helisoma trivolvis (Say)

Abstract

Constructed wetlands are built because they can act as sinks for many pollutants, thereby protecting the water quality of downstream ecosystems. The treatment performance is generally assessed using mass balance calculations. Along with the mass balance approach, we compared the metal content of populations of a common pond snail (Helisoma trivolvis Say) collected upstream and downstream of a 3-year-old constructed wetland. Snails were collected in early May, June, and August 1998. At the same time, water samples for particulate and dissolved metals were taken every 3 days for the duration of the experiment. Overall, the wetland retained most dissolved metals, including Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Ni, and Pb, but released dissolved As. However, the wetland released particulate Fe and Mn. With the exception of Zn, the metal concentrations of the downstream snails were on average higher than those measured in the upstream population. The higher metal content of downstream snails was likely related to the significant export of particulate metals by the wetland, despite the overall retention of dissolved metals. This study points to the need for biological as well as chemical monitoring to determine the treatment efficiency and toxicological risk associated with constructed wetlands.