Arsenic-contaminated mountain tap water supply in Ron Phibun District, Nakorn Si Thammarat Province, Thailand poses a health hazard. Arsenic was removed using a constructed wetland (CW) system, in which the treated contaminated tap water was sedimented in 3 consecutive ponds before entering into the CW ponds, containing either Cyperus spp. or Colocasia esculenta. Following 1 year of operation both plants had similar ability to remove arsenic from mountain tap water. Arsenic was mostly concentrated at the roots of both plants. Arsenic in C esculenta leaves was allowed to leach out in freshwater for 149 days. but the level (0.05 mg L-1) was much lower than standard guidelines for industrial discharge. For Cyperus spp., young shoots were utilized as ornamental plants. As the sediments contained high arsenic levels, they were converted by a solidification/stabilization (S/S) system into cement-containing blocks, which after curing for 21 days produced arsenic leaching at levels that did not require a secure landfill for storage. The success of this study demonstrated that ON combined with appropriate S/S system is a suitable approach for Thailand in removing arsenic from contaminated water. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.