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Boxerwood began as a private garden, with no awareness that it would one
day become a public facility. Our Visitors Center septic system,
installed in the 1950s for a family of five, became obsolete and inadequate and in fact
might have been be leaking its
waste into the groundwater. To meet the long-term demand of our growing public,
Boxerwood needed far more substantial wastewater-handling capabilities.
The solution for Boxerwood’s
waste treatment system problem is NEWTS – an innovative, educational
mini-ecosystem that cleans and efficiently recycles the Visitor Center’s
water and waste. One-of-a-kind in our area, the Boxerwood System, is a man-made
compacted wetland that is visually attractive and environmentally sound.
Unlike chemically based systems,
this System’s waste treatment takes place through a series of managed
environments. From the
restrooms and kitchen, the waste first travels to
septic tanks, through a
recirculating
media-filter where helpful bacteria continue to break
down and ingest organic pollutants. Next, in the
greenhouse, it goes through our
Constructed Wetlands -- lined trenches where common wetland microbes, plants and
animals will filter and clean the water. The water then goes through
ultra-violet rays provided by the sun or a lamp when not enough natural UV rays
are available. Finally, the water is given to plants that transpire the liquid
through their leaves. All of this takes place in a remarkably small space.
Added Benefits:
 | The
Boxerwood Nature-Emulating Wastewater Treatment System is a teaching tool
demonstrating complex and delicate ecosystems and our own interdependence
with plants, wildlife and watersheds. Through educational programs, the
Boxerwood System is a key element toward fulfilling Boxerwood’s mission
of "educating and inspiring people of all ages toward becoming
successful and environmentally responsible stewards of the Earth." |
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addition to solving our problems, systems like ours could also be a major
solution to the threat to water quality posed by nitrate pollution in our
local and the greater Chesapeake Bay watershed. |
Nitrate
pollution is the Bay’s most significant problem -- causing algal blooms, which
deprive the aquatic environment of needed sunlight and dissolved oxygen,
resulting in compromised aquatic plant and animal life.
Septic
systems are one of the top 10 sources of groundwater contamination in 35 out of
37 states surveyed by the EPA. They also are the second largest source of
groundwater nitrate contamination in the U.S. They are the third major
contaminant of groundwater in the U.S., rating higher than industrial facilities
and urban runoff.
Clearly,
alternatives to traditional septic systems are critical to the future of the
health of the Bay, our groundwater and us.
By
responsibly addressing the leaking nitrate issue at Boxerwood, we are directly
addressing a significant environmental problem and will carry awareness of this
problem and a sustainable solution to our constituents.
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