A Free-Water Surface ConstructedWetland is a series of flooded channels that aims to replicate the naturally occurring processes of a natural wetland,marsh or swamp. As water slowly flows through the wetland, particles settle, pathogens are destroyed, and organisms and plants utilize the nutrients. Unlike The Horizontal Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetland (T6), the Free-Water Surface Constructed Wetland allows water to flow above ground, exposed to the atmosphere and direct sunlight. The channel or basin is lined with an impermeable barrier (clay or geotextile) covered with rocks, gravel and soil and planted with native vegetation (e.g. cattails, reeds and/or rushes). The wetland is flooded with wastewater to a depth of 10 to 45cm above ground level. As the water slowly flows through the wetland, simultaneous physical, chemical and biological processes filter solids, degrade organics and remove nutrients from the wastewater.