Ethel M Chocolates - The Living Machine

The Living Machine is part of the self-guided Cactus Garden tour at Ethel M Chocolates in Las Vegas.

This Water Recycling Plant is the first of its type treating industrial wastewater. Named the Living Machine, the treatment plant uses live bacteria, algae, protozoa, snails, fish and plants to remove pollutants from the water. Designed and built by Living Technologies of Burlington, Vermont specifically to purify the chocolate factory's wastewater, the process uses no chemicals and is designed to mimic nature's natural water purification process.

Outside the plant and adjacent to one of the world's finest botanical cactus gardens, visitors view over an acre of waste-consuming ecologies in tanks, marshes and reed beds transforming wastewater into water clean enough to be used for landscape irrigation, air-conditioning systems and vehicle washing. While conventional wastewater treatment systems produce a large amount of sludge (which requires disposal), this process converts the sludge into compost, much in demand in the desert Southwest.

Finally, the treated water goes to an open pond. The pond's role in the system is to hold the treated clean water until it is needed. The pond holds approximately 100,000 gallons and is eight feet deep at its deepest point. The pond is home to numerous families of fish.

The constructed wetlands are designed to take the water from the last stage of the open tanks and "polish the water", removing any last bits of solids and further reducing biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). Water flows horizontally below the surface toward the open pond and takes approximately one day to make the trip. The wetlands mimic naturally occurring wetlands throughout the world, including the desert areas of the Southwest. Plants in the wetlands include papyrus, bulrushes, cattails, and Cyprus trees. None of these plants are on the endangered list, however as Ethel M Chocolates constructed wetlands matures, some of the endangered plants will be introduced.

Ethel M Chocolates, known nationally for its gourmet confections, attracts 700,000 visitors a year touring its chocolate factory and cactus garden in Las Vegas. Visitors sample such delicacies as the legendary Lemon Satin Crème, while viewing the art of fine chocolate making. The Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Living Machine are open daily from 8:30 am to 7:00 pm. Admission is free and tours are self-guided.