Philip Morris Wetlands Project, USA

What is it?

A 15-hectare free water surface wetland created to treat industrial wastewater from Philip Morris’s Park 500 tobacco processing facility near Richmond, Virginia.

Who is responsible?

CH2M Hill designed and implemented the wetland.

What makes it special?

• Tobacco wastewater contains naturally high nitrogen and phosphorus loads, which can result in algal blooms, adversely impacting aquatic life and polluting surface water sources. Park 500 is the only known application of a natural wetland system to treat tobacco wastewater.

• Treated effluent from the existing onsite wastewater treatment plant is routed through a newly created wetland, where natural processes result in measurable reductions in the effluent’s nutrient loads.

• The process involved gathering support from a wide variety of stakeholders, including government representatives, environmental NGOs, academic institutions and local property owners. CH2M Hill and Philip Morris have shown ingenuity and leadership in reducing the impact of industry on a natural water ecosystem - by creating one of their own.