Horizontal subsurface flow (HSSF) constructed wetlands (CWs) are widely adopted as a highly effective technique for stormwater treatment. However, the cumulative clogging phenomenon in HSSF is a complex and challenging operative issue affecting removal efficiencies and the lifespan of CWs. This paper aims to evaluate the reliability of a combined approach for assessing the occurrence of clogging and its potential spatial and temporal evolution in two pilot-scale HSSF-CW. The experimental CW system was fed with stormwater runoff from a parking area during the rainy season and sequential batch reactor (SBR) wastewater (WW) during the dry season. The falling head (FH) method and a drainage equation were used to determine the hydraulic conductivity at saturation (K_s) of the porous medium and investigate the hydraulic performance of the system. A residence time distribution (RTD) analysis was also performed to evaluate the hydraulic flow dynamics and define the crucial parameters characterising the CW. The applied hydraulic measurement techniques highlighted that clogging was in the initial stages of development after 2.5 years of operation, likely associated with the presence of a pond and the partial retention of total suspended solids (TSS) by the HSSF system. Overall, the good consistency in the results of the applied methods supports their future application for predicting the occurrence of clogging phenomena in HSSF CWs.

水平地下流 (HSSF) 人工湿地 (CW) 作为一种高效的雨水处理技术被广泛采用。然而，HSSF 中的累积堵塞现象是一个复杂且具有挑战性的操作问题，会影响去除效率和 CW 的使用寿命。本文旨在评估在两个试点规模的 HSSF-CW 中评估堵塞发生及其潜在空间和时间演变的组合方法的可靠性。试验性 CW 系统在雨季从停车场接收雨水径流，在旱季接收连续间歇式反应器 (SBR) 废水 (WW)。落水头 (FH) 法和排水方程用于确定饱和水力传导率 ( K _s) 的多孔介质，并研究系统的水力性能。还进行了停留时间分布 (RTD) 分析以评估水力流动动力学并定义表征 CW 的关键参数。应用的水力测量技术强调，在运行 2.5 年后，堵塞处于发展的初始阶段，可能与池塘的存在和 HSSF 系统部分保留总悬浮固体 (TSS) 相关。总体而言，所应用方法结果的良好一致性支持其未来用于预测 HSSF CW 中堵塞现象的发生。