What is it about?
Vegetated floating islands enhance nutrient and other pollutant reduction within waterbodies. Such islands are designed to maximise the development of bacteria/algal biofilm within the structure of the islands as well as within the rootmass growing beneath the islands from wetland plants growing on the surface of the structure. A 30 month mesocosm study showed that, once a high surface area of periphyton has developed within a waterbody, planktonic algae is consumed at a sufficiently high rate to prevent excessive algal growth from adversely impacting on water quality. This occurs even when dissolved nitrogen levels are well above those recommended for freshwater ecological and aesthetic freshwater usage.
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Why is it important?
Vegetated floating islands provide an additional nutrient reduction option in many but not all waterbodies. Once installed with good vegetation growth, islands have low maintenance needs and their nutrient-reduction abilities continue to operate throughout all seasons and without ongoing management.
Perspectives
Vegetated floating islands have a wide range of applications wherever nutrient levels within waterbodies are unacceptably high. They have been successfully installed in several dozen places around Australia, including sewerage treatment ponds, stormwater detention ponds, rivers, farm dams and ornamental lakes. Although initial capital and installation costs are moderate to high, they provide ongoing natural nutrient reduction capabilities in a way that is aesthetically attractive.
Mr Bernie K Masters
private consultancy
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The ability of vegetated floating Islands to improve water quality in natural and constructed wetlands: a review, Water Practice & Technology, March 2012, IWA Publishing,
DOI: 10.2166/wpt.2012.022.
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