Prior to the 20th century, millions of acres of riparian wetlands existed in the U.S. They formed a natural filtration system to clean sediment, organic material and polutants from the rivers. With the construction of dams and the increasing drain of water from rivers to satisfy the needs of growing mega-cities throughout our country, the acres of natural wetlands have diminished to an alarming degree. Constructed wetlands are a recently developed method, which attempts to re-introduce natural processes and eliminate the chemicals and costly upkeep of mechanical systems of filtration.

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