Instructor: Dr. Chris Gordon

Project: Wetland Management

This project will entail isolating various reed beds around the Accra area in order to examine the efficiency of their use in eliminating or reducing problems of pollution. After locating sights for study, the student will work with Dr. Chris Gordon in building the bed and introducing pollution at one end, observing the tendencies of the flow of trash. Concurrently, the student will take the dimensions of the reed bed into consideration, the location, the contents, and several other external factors, in order to determine how effective the process is. The student will attempt to find ways to ensure the stripping of all excess pollutants and to maintain a self-generating system.

Among several other questions, the following could be explored:

• Where should a reed bed be prepared? What conditions maximize its performance?
• How efficient is a reed bed?
• What could be done to ensure a more efficient reed bed system?
• What treatments could be applied to fix the reed beds failures? How do these treatments compare fiscally, politically, socially, etc.?

How feasible is extensive water sanitation and treatment in Ghana?