On the Performance of a Novel Hybrid Constructed Wetland for Stormwater Treatment and Irrigation Reuse in Mediterranean Climate

Decentralized water treatment facilities (DWFTs) have been described as one of the best practices (BMPs) for promoting effective water management programs in the framework of the circular economy, with the aim to easy the exploitation of freshwater supply. In many Mediterranean regions, wastewater (WW) reuse practice is still struggling for being accepted and it’s clearly affected by legislation gaps and discrepancy among national and European perspectives. This work mainly investigates some issues related to stormwater and conventional WW reuse feasibility for green areas irrigation, after being treated by a pilot hybrid constructed wetland (H-CW) in Mediterranean climate. Experimental results are promising and suggest as viable the reclaimed water use in green area irrigation. Nevertheless, at the light of the EU guidelines proposal, the effluent water quality hereby reported fulfilled the minimum requirements for the intended use above mentioned, but did not fully comply the stringent Italian standards.