Ecological impact of watershed water

pollution control on coastal tourist scenic

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spots
..............................................................................................................................................................

Qiong Sun, Xiaofang Wang and Li Wang*

Department of Business Administration, Management College, No. 97, Beisihuan
East Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China
............................................................................................................................................
Abstract
In recent years, the rapid development of coastal areas has polluted the watershed water, affecting the
ecological environment of wetland scenic spots. This paper briefly introduced the constructed wetland,
a means of watershed water pollution control, and briefly explained its mechanism of water pollution
control. Then, an example of Yancheng Coastal Wetland Natural Reserve in Jiangsu Province was analyzed
to analyze water quality ecological changes in the basin before and after the construction of constructed
wetland. The results showed that the basin of the natural reserve changed from acidic to alkaline, and
ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and chemical oxygen demand decreased significantly
and maintained at a relatively low level after the constructed wetland controlled the water pollution in the
basin; subsurface constructed wetland had a better effect on reducing ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen and
total phosphorus; surface constructed wetland had a better effect on reducing chemical oxygen demand.
In conclusion, constructed wetlands as a means of water pollution control in the watershed can effectively
improve the water quality ecology of coastal wetland natural reserves.

Keywords: constructed wetlands; water pollution control; water quality ecology; coastal areas
* Corresponding author: Received 31 July 2019; revised 11 September 2019; editorial decision 27 September 2019; accepted
liw_wang@yeah.net 27 September 2019
................................................................................................................................................................................

1. INTRODUCTION
With the development of economy, the urbanization of rural areas
in China has accelerated gradually. Especially in coastal areas of
rural and urban areas, the development speed of urbanization is
more rapid because of the favorable geographical location [1].
However, although rapid urbanization has brought huge eco-
nomic benefits, extensive development in this process has caused
serious damage to the local ecology. For example, the establish-
ment of factories and their production activities discharge sewage
into local rivers, in addition to rural sewage brought by the
improvement of quality of life [2]. Generally speaking, factories
filter industrial sewage before discharging it, but in rural areas,
there is no perfect centralized sewage collection and treatment
facilities. When sewage is discharged into nearby rivers, it will
gradually diffuse into normal water bodies and nearby soil with
the flow of river basins, resulting in pollution [3]. There are many
natural and ecological protection zones with tourism values in
coastal areas, in which the watershed is connected with the rural
and urban waters outside the protection zone, and the pollution of
watershed water will affect the environment of the protection zone
[4]. Water pollution control means include developing sewage
treatment technology and enhancing environmental protection
awareness of individuals and enterprises. For wetland natural
reserve, large-scale construction of sewage treatment projects will
destroy the original ecological balance, so it is necessary to imple-
ment reasonable methods according to local conditions, such as
constructing constructed wetlands. Liquete et al. [5] constructed
a set of constructed wetlands to treat sewage spills, compared
it with two other potential alternatives through multi-standard
analysis and found that the scheme was more suitable for sewage
treatment. Zhang et al. [6] developed an integrated environmental
decision support system for water pollution control based on the
total maximum daily load, made simulation analysis on the water
pollution of Beiyun River and found that the system was easy to
implement and could support the reuse of different models. Wei
et al. [7] constructed a dynamic optimization simulation model
based on the input–output method to explore the optimal strategy

International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies 2019, 00, 1–5

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doi:10.1093/ijlct/ctz060 1
Q. Sun et al.
Figure 1. Main composition of constructed wetlands.
combination of river basin water pollution control and found
that the model was helpful to control river basin water pollution
and achieve regional sustainable development. This paper briefly
introduced the constructed wetland which is a means of basin
water pollution control and briefly explained its mechanism of
water pollution control. Then, an example of Yancheng Coastal
Wetland Natural Reserve in Jiangsu Province was analyzed, and
the water quality ecological changes in the basin before and after
the construction of constructed wetland were investigated.
2. WATER POLLUTION
CONTROL—CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS
In this study, constructed wetlands [8] are used to treat sewage
from urban and rural areas, so as to reduce the ecological impact
of water pollution in the basin on the tourist attractions that it
passes through.
As shown in Figure 1, constructed wetlands are mainly com-
posed of three parts [9]. The material of the artificial matrix is
determined by the type of constructed wetland: surface wetland
for soil and the substrate of subsurface wetland for gravel or
mixture of sand and soil. Aquatic plants are plants planted on
artificial substrates.
Microorganisms are attached to artificial substrates and aquatic
plants, which plays a major role in the sewage treatment of con-
structed wetlands. Generally, the sewage discharged by factories
is pollutants contaminated by metal ions, while the sewage from
urban and rural areas is organic pollutants such as nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium. Substrates and plants in constructed
wetlands remove solid and metal ion pollutants from sewage by
relying on their physical structures, and organic pollutants need
to be decomposed by microorganism [10].
3. WATER POLLUTION CONTROL
MECHANISM OF CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS
AND DETECTION MEANS
3.1. Control mechanism of water pollution
The main components of water pollution in the basin include
solid suspended matter, organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus
2 International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies 2019, 00, 1–5
compounds and metal ions. Solid suspended solids are larger in
volume than other pollutants. The removal of solid suspended
solids in constructed wetlands is achieved through filtration inter-
ception of substrates and plant roots [11]. Microbial communities
in constructed wetlands can effectively degrade non-nitrogen and
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phosphorus organic compounds through the synergy of aerobic
bacteria oxidation and anaerobic bacteria fermentation [12].
Constructed wetlands mainly remove nitrogen contaminants
through microorganisms. Microorganisms and plants in con-
structed wetlands can assimilate and absorb phosphorus com-
pounds in sewage [13].
3.2. Detection means of water pollution
The detection items of watershed water pollution include PH,
ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and chemical
oxygen demand. The detection methods are as follows:
Detection of pH: the pH of sample is quickly read by a rapid pH
analyzer.
Ammonia nitrogen detection: first, the standard curve of
ammonia nitrogen is made, then the absorbance of water
samples which are added with NaOH, NaKC4 H4 O6 ·4H2 O and
Nessler reagent is detected by a 420-nm spectrophotometer; non-
ammonia water is used as blank control.
Total nitrogen detection: firstly, the water samples were heated
in Kjeldahl flasks with H2 SO4 , K2 SO4 and CuSO4 ; after cooling,
distilled water, sodium sulfide, NaOH solution and a few drops of
phenolphthalein are added to distill the distilled gas in the rotating
process, and then boric acid solution is used to absorb the distilled
gas. An indicator is added to H3 BO3 absorption solution; dilute
sulfuric acid is added to adjust it until the color changes. Finally,
the total nitrogen content is calculated.
Total phosphorus detection: firstly, HNO3 and HClO4 are used
to heat and concentrate water samples; after cooling, water is
added, and NaOH and H2 SO4 are used to adjust pH; ascorbic
acid and molybdate solution are added and mixed. After 15 min,
the absorbance was determined at the wavelength of 700 nm; the
process of making standard curve is the same as the steps above.
Chemical oxygen demand detection [15]: firstly, K2 Cr2 O7 solu-
tion is used in the sample, followed by heating and reflux, and
AgSO4 –H2 SO4 is added step by step. After reflux, water is added
to dilute the sample, and (NH4 )2 Fe (SO4 )2 is used for titration.
The chemical oxygen demand is calculated.
4. EXAMPLE ANALYSIS
4.1. Case overview
Yancheng Coastal Wetland Natural Reserve was used for example
analysis in this study [14]. Its geographical coordinates is 119◦ 28 E
∼ 121◦ 14 E and 32◦ 19 N ∼ 34◦ 36 N. The coastline of the natu-
ral reserve is 581 km long, and the wetland area in the whole
natural reserve accounts for about 25% of the total wetland area
in China. The natural reserve is located between temperate zone
and subtropical zone, with an annual average temperature around
 Ecological impact of watershed water pollution control on coastal tourist scenic spots

14◦ C and abundant light. About 10 surface runoffs flow to the sea
in the reserve. The natural reserve has a beautiful environment
and rich biodiversity, which has a very high tourism value. How-
ever, Yancheng Coastal Wetland Natural Reserve is facing many
ecological problems in recent years: (1) the reduction of wetland

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area, (2) the pollution of water quality in the watershed of the
reserve and (3) the decline of biodiversity caused by unreasonable
exploitation.

4.2. Relevant parameters of constructed wetlands

In order to solve the ecological problems of wetland area reduc-
tion and water quality pollution in Yancheng Coastal Wetland
Figure 2. Effects of constructed wetlands on pH of watershed in natural reserves.
Natural Reserve, constructed wetlands were constructed to
expand the wetland area and control water pollution in the basin.
Zeolite and gravel were selected as artificial substrates for subsur-
face wetland according to the demand. The diameter of zeolite and
gravel was 20 mm, the thickness of paving was 0.4 m and the thick-
ness of paving was 0.2 m. The artificial substrates for surface flow
wetland were only 0.4 m thick. The water depths of subsurface and
surface constructed wetlands are 0.6 and 0.4 m, respectively. The
area of both subsurface and surface flow constructed wetlands
was 1000 m2 . Phragmites australis was planted in the soil layer of
constructed wetlands, with a density of four plants/m2 .

4.3. Detection of operation effect of constructed

wetlands
After the construction of constructed wetlands, it will take
6 months of trial operation to restore the vitality of reeds planted
in the wetlands and ensure the stable operation of the constructed
wetland system. Before construction and in the seventh, eighth
and ninth months after construction, the watershed water quality
in the protected area was tested, including PH, ammonia nitrogen,
total nitrogen, total phosphorus and chemical oxygen demand.
The detection method has been described above. Samples were
taken six times every month, and the average values were
calculated.
4.4. Detection results
As shown in Figure 2, the average pH value of the Yancheng
Natural Reserve watershed was 6.0 before the construction of
constructed wetlands, and the ecological environment was acidic,
which was not conducive to the survival of most animals and
plants. Seven months after the construction of constructed wet-
lands, the pH values of the subsurface wetland area and surface
wetland area were 7.0 and 7.2, respectively. Eight months after
construction, the pH values of the subsurface wetland area and
surface wetland area were 7.5 and 7.7, respectively. Nine months
after construction, the pH values of the subsurface wetland area
and surface wetland area were 7.6 and 7.75, respectively. It can
be seen from Figure 2 that the average pH value of the basin of
the natural reserve increased after the constructed wetland was
constructed and tended to be stable over time, and the basin of
the natural reserve was alkaline. Moreover, it can be seen that
Figure 3. Effects of constructed wetlands on ammonia nitrogen content in
watershed of the natural reserve.
the surface flow constructed wetland has a greater increase in
the pH value of the protected watershed. The reason for the
increase in pH value was that photosynthesis of reeds and other
plants planted in constructed wetlands absorbed a large amount
of carbon dioxide. The reason for the increase in the surface
flow area was that the soil in the surface flow area was thick
and exposed to water, which was easier to adhere to algae and
duckweed plants during the operation of constructed wetlands
and produced stronger photosynthesis.
As shown in Figure 3, the average ammonia nitrogen content
in the Yancheng Nature Reserve watershed was 16.44 mg/L before
the construction of constructed wetlands, and the ammonia nitro-
gen contents in the subsurface flow and surface flow areas were
1.64 and 6.58 mg/L, respectively 7 months after the construction
of constructed wetlands and remained stable in the next 2 months.
It can be seen from Figure 3 that the ammonia nitrogen content
in the watershed of the nature reserve decreased significantly and
maintained at a relatively low and stable value over time after
the construction of constructed wetlands. The ammonia nitrogen
content in the watershed water decreased significantly 7 months
after the construction, that is, 1 month after the formal operation,
compared with that before the construction, and remains basically
unchanged in the following 2 months. The reason was that the
constructed wetland spent 6 months before the formal detection
to restore the vitality of plants and ensure the normal operation

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Q. Sun et al.

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Figure 4. Effects of constructed wetlands on total nitrogen content in natural Figure 5. Effects of constructed wetlands on total phosphorus in natural reserve
reserve watershed. watershed.

of the constructed wetland and the constructed wetland and

the content of ammonia nitrogen is significantly reduced by the
constructed wetland in the process. The removal efficiency of
ammonia nitrogen by constructed wetlands in the subsurface flow
area was better; the reason was that the substrate of constructed
wetlands in the subsurface flow area was mainly composed of
zeolite and gravel, in which zeolite has porous structure and is easy
to adsorb ammonia nitrogen.
As shown in Figure 4, the average content of total nitrogen in
the Yancheng Nature Reserve watershed was 35.73 mg/L before
the construction of constructed wetlands, and it was 14.29 and
21.44 mg/L in subsurface flow and surface flow areas, respectively,
7 months after the construction of constructed wetlands and
remained stable in the next 2 months. It can be seen from
Figure 4 that the total nitrogen content in the basin of the nature
reserve decreased significantly after constructed wetlands were
constructed and maintained at a relatively low and stable value
over time. As the constructed wetland has been in operation
in the period between the construction the formal detection,
its nitrogen removal effect has been brought into play in this
process, which effectively reduced the total nitrogen content in the
watershed water. Moreover, the reason why the nitrogen removal
effect in the subsurface flow area was better was consistent
with the reason why the ammonia nitrogen removal effect was
better.
As shown in Figure 5, the average content of total phosphorus
in Yancheng Nature Reserve watershed was 35.73 mg/L before
the construction of constructed wetlands; the total phosphorus
contents in subsurface flow and surface flow areas were 0.714
and 0.948 mg/L, respectively, 7 months after the construction of
constructed wetlands and remained stable in the next 2 months.
It can be seen from Figure 5 that the total phosphorus content
in the basin of the natural reserve was greatly reduced after
the constructed wetland was constructed and maintained at a
relatively low and stable value over time. The reason for the
change in total phosphorus content in watershed water before
and after construction of constructed wetlands was as mentioned
above. The reason why the effect of phosphorus removal in the
subsurface flow zone is better was that zeolite and gravel have
Figure 6. Effects of constructed wetlands on chemical oxygen demand in natural
reserve watershed.
better adsorption effects on phosphorus, which was conducive to
chemical precipitation, and their porous structure is conducive to
the adsorption of microorganisms, thus improving phosphorus
conversion.
As shown in Figure 6, before the construction of constructed
wetlands, the average chemical oxygen demand in the Yancheng
Natural Reserve watershed was 110.54 mg/L; 7 months after the
construction, the chemical oxygen demand in subsurface flow
and surface flow areas of the natural reserve watershed was 50.66
and 45.01 mg/L, respectively, and decreased slightly in the next
2 months. After the constructed wetlands were constructed, the
chemical oxygen demand in the watershed of the natural reserve
decreased significantly and gradually stabilized at a lower value
over time. The reason for the change in chemical oxygen demand
before and 7 months after the construction of constructed wet-
lands was as described above. The reason why the surface con-
structed wetland had better effect on reducing chemical oxygen
demand was that the thick and exposed soil in the surface flow
area attracted algae and duckweed plants to adhere to during
the operation of surface constructed wetland, producing stronger
photosynthesis, reductive substances in water was oxidized and
the chemical oxygen demand was reduced.

4 International Journal of Low-Carbon Technologies 2019, 00, 1–5

 Ecological impact of watershed water pollution control on coastal tourist scenic spots
5. CONCLUSION
This paper briefly introduced the constructed wetland which is
a basin water control means, briefly explained its mechanism
of water pollution control and made an example analysis of the
Yancheng Coastal Wetland Natural Reserve in Jiangsu Province
to investigate the water quality ecological changes in the basin
before and after the constructed wetland. The results are as fol-
lows: (1) after the constructed wetland was constructed, the pH
value in the basin increased and tended to be stable, and sur-
face flow constructed wetland had better effect on adjusting the
pH value; (2) after the construction of constructed wetlands,
ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen and total phosphorus in the
watershed decreased significantly and stabilized to a relatively
small level over time; subsurface flow constructed wetlands had
better removal effects on ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen and
total phosphorus in sewage; (3) after the construction of con-
structed wetlands, the chemical oxygen demand in the basin
greatly reduced and stabilized at a relatively low level, and surface-
flow constructed wetlands had a better effect on the reduction
of chemical oxygen demand. The future research direction is
to improve the water pollution control capacity of constructed
wetlands.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This study was supported by the General Project of the Beijing
Municipal Education Committee’s Scientific and Technological
Plan (KM201711417013) to Q.S.
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