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ARM are specialist consultants in the design and construction of reed beds. We offer a full range of consultancy services in the field of wastewater treatment including:
• Feasibility Studies
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Research and Development
• Process Design
• Mitigation and Impact Reduction
• Consents and Authorisation
• Design Evaluation
• And many more!
Client relationships are central to our sustainable approach and we ensure all projects deliver a long-term benefit to both the client and the environment. By working with you from the outset, we can ensure maximum value and pride ourselves on delivering innovative solutions which challenge accepted ‘norms’ to deliver cost savings and mitigate risks.
We provide step-by-step project support incorporating the complete engineering, procurement and construction management of a range of activities related to wastewater treatment. When completed we also offer an ongoing support service and care after handover has taken place.
Every system ARM design and construct comes with a process guarantee and automatically comes with a two year service and maintenance contract. It is our responsibility to source the most cost-effective process from your brief. Although we specialise in the design and construction of reed beds, this technology will not necessarily be utilised in the final design of the treatment solution.
How fast a reed bed clogs up varies from site to site and depends on the operating conditions, previous maintenance regimes and effluent characteristics. Reed beds that have not had a maintenance regime, or those treating effluents with a high organic matter, will have a reduced working life. ARM offers a refurbishment service to revitalise your reed bed , alleviate clogging, remove sludge, wash gravel or effectively fully rebuild using existing assets found on site to make sure your beds get back within consent.
The asset assessment package includes a site visit to assess various criteria to determine the operating condition of the reed bed. This is followed by the provision of a written report with recommendations to ensure you meet your discharge consent- whether constructed by us or not.
Keeping reed beds and sewage treatment works operating at their optimal capacity is a must and our specialist knowledge of water and sewage treatment enables us to assess individual sites and deliver a cost effective long term solution to effluent problems.
ARM continually invest in research and development into reed beds and constructed wetland technology and have our own development centre on site at Rugeley.
Set up to investigate treating agricultural effluents with reed beds in the 80s, the original wetland system now recieves sewage from the trading estate, and includes horizontal flow, vertical flow and aerated reed beds. This has now been extended and we have over 20 wetland cells available to trial numerous wetland applications.
Reed beds are not maintenance-free, though they require very low levels of care compared to conventional treatment plants. Following the installation or refurbishment of a constructed wetland, we provide a post-commissioning service covering a basic maintenance agreement.
Our maintenance service agreement provides basic maintenance and service of a reed bed for a period of two years. The agreement includes a number of site visits each year to keep systems running smoothly and we will keep you fully informed with the production of site visit reports which are logged on-site specifying work undertaken and potential issues to give peace of mind.
Existing wetlands require regular monitoring to highlight potential issues before they start impacting the environment. This involves regular sampling of water from the inlet and outlet of the wetland, and measuring flow data to determine the system’s performance.
Monitoring and evaluation can be part of an asset management agreement, or asset assessment and provides invaluable information. We can also install flow meters and a sampling regime which includes the analysis of BOD, COD, suspended solids, nitrate, nitrite and ammonia as a minimum standard.
Over the years we have come across many systems that have simply been over engineered, with many unnecessary, complex and expensive structures. To aid contractors we have adopted a simple design philosophy to ensure every system undergoes value engineering.
Whether using our design or your own, we make it easy for contractors and save our clients significant amounts of money through design reviews based on experience – without compromising quality or performance.
By reviewing plans in the initial stages, we can ensure you have the correct dimensions to treat the effluent and ensure the correct materials are used.
If you wish to construct a reed bed independently or have construction arrangements with alternative contractors, we offer a design only service. Our design only service is available to small developers and individual home owners for the treatment of wastewater produced by the equivalent of five or more people, thereby making reed bed technology accessible to all.
A process guarantee offers peace of mind to the client that the system will perform reliably within agreed design and treatment parameters.
It is a statement of ARM’s confidence in both our understanding and implementation of constructed wetland technology and also our capability to create a sustainable and reliable treatment solution.
Wetland technology has developed over the years, and we get asked the same questions by clients and operators of reed beds regarding their suitability for specific effluents. There is a general uncertainty of their treatment capabilities, how they work, their overall benefits, and what levels of maintenance are required.
In response to these questions and to increase awareness of constructed wetlands, we have developed a training programme which addresses the main concerns of installing and maintaining a reed bed system.
Taking place either on or off site, we provide an introductory session on the operation and maintenance of treatment wetlands as well as an introduction to constructed wetland technology which can be delivered as lunch time seminars, CPD style training or workshops.
