Understanding Methane Emission From Constructed Systems Used in Municipal STPs: Preliminary Study on Lagoons in St. Clair Township, Southern ON

Constructed wetlands and lagoon systems are used as sewage treatment plants (STPs) because they are a more cost-effective and sustainable solution to traditional STPs. This is due to the immense environmental benefits these systems provide. However, despite its ability to sequester GHGs, research has shown both lagoons and wetlands can be a natural source of methane due to their anoxic conditions. This paper explores a preliminary study done on lagoon sewage systems located in St. Clair Township, Ontario. The goal is to see if STPs like natural systems can become a net source of GHGs. In total there are three locations with set of lagoons with identical loading that served as reference and treatment. Treatment lagoon was fitted with an EMF-1000 to see if it could influence methane emission. Results show that STPs can become a net source of methane emissions. DO could possibly influence GHG fluxes occurring from these lagoons however analysis of other variables needs to be conducted to understand how to reduce methane emissions from municipal STPs.