Under South West Water’s AMP8 investment programme, several small wastewater treatment works (FFT<15 l/s) require improvements to meet microbiological standards for discharges to Bathing Waters (BW) or Shellfish waters (SW). Stantec supported South West Water to gain agreements with the Environment Agency (EA) under the recently revised guidance for determining disinfection requirements to evaluate potential options for the sites. Due to the high dilution / dispersion available between the point of discharge and the designated BW or SW for two of these sites, UV irradiation or membrane systems (currently the only processes approved for disinfection by the EA) would be expected to significantly over perform. The EA allows wetlands to be considered on a case-by-case basis. Wetlands were identified as potentially more appropriate solutions for these sites. The presentation gives an overview of how the use of Horizontal Subsurface Flow reedbeds was explored as an alternative option, offering low CAPEX, OPEX, and carbon benefits. Potential pathogen reduction was investigated through literature review, sampling of reedbeds, and regulator discussions. Ultimately, these solutions were not progressed due to land purchase requirements and regulatory deadlines, reinforcing the importance of integrated planning, early regulator engagement and development of robust evidence to support alternative approaches.