Plants, such as cattails and bulrushes utilize t hese nutrients resulting in cleaner water. Proper sizing and management of a wetland area results in cleaned water that can be released to the natural watercourse, as the nutrients have been retained in the vegetative material. Because wetlands do not function during the winter, constructed wetlands designed for the Prairie region will need to be sized to complete all of the treatment in a 6-month period or less. Wetland plants required, such as cattails and bulrushes, grow well in the Prairies. The limiting factor of constructed wetlands is that there is a high capital cost involved in building such a system.
Further research is required to determine the feasibility of wetlands to manage manure.