Stormwater BMPs - Floating Wetlands - Gainesville, Florida - Managed Aquatic Plant Systems

Pictured here are three pictures of week 3 deployments.  Lake Alice looked lush and full with several waterfowl swimming around the island.  The downtown stormwater pond - Tumblin Creek Park - appeared to be growing also - and was host to several turtles sunning themselves.  Finally, the Brownfield site - where we expect to receive alot of valuable data on pollutant removal efficiencies - the floating wetland deployed at the Brownfield Site had waterfowl and ducks clustered among the plants.

Questions as to the additional nutrient input from wildlife use remain to be analyzed, however the floating wetland platforms appear to be preforming as expected!  Check back for further updates, or sign up to follow the blog.  Kevin.

Floating Wetlands - Florida - Open Architecture Mat for Floating Wetland Allows Sunlight and O2/CO2 Exchange

The open architecture of the floating wetland pictured above allows for a level of sunlight to penetrate the platform and reach the water column below.  Sunlight blockage has always been an overriding concern about floating wetland mats and the system here solves that significant issue.

The photo above shows how the native aquatic plants are placed into the grid.  Because the grid is two inches thick and open in structure both vertically and horizontally, the root system of the aquatic plants can grow laterally as well as vertically.

Supporting LEED and the Sustainability issue that is on everyone's radar - this platform brings significant LEED and Green Building points with its 95% post-consumer recycled content (polypropylene).

Call Kevin for more info on this floating wetland platform system.  904-294-2656.

Three New ACF Floating Wetlands Launched in Gainesville, Florida

Successful launching of three floating wetland platforms occurred yesterday - March 11th, 2010 in Gainesville, Florida.

The platforms are ACF Floating Wetland units made from post-consumer recycled polypropylene and utilize native aquatic plants obtained from a permitted wetland nursery.

The University of Florida has conducted years of research concerning the efficiency of emergent aquatic plant species at removing nutrients and other pollutants from stormwater.

UF staff is continuing the research with the three floating wetland systems.

The testing not only involves nutrient removal capabilities, but also heavy metals, other pollutants and fecal coliform removal efficiencies too!

The ACF Floating Wetland platforms are rigid and permanent - unlike the soft Ethylene Vinyl Acetate foam mats made in China and used in many other floating wetland systems.   ACF Floating wetlands also offer the advantage of allowing light to penetrate through the open architecture as well as O2 exchange where solid mats shade out light and can cause decline in protected benthic grasses.

The ACF Floating wetland system has a 2" thick structural form that allows root mass to grow horizontally as well as vertically, protecting the plant roots from Carp and allowing the plants to be used for many years without the necessity of being replaced.

Other floating wetland systems recommend changing plants yearly - running operating costs up over time.  However, with the ACF floating wetland system, plants can create a moderately mature root mass system that immediately support new sprout growth upon upper bio-mass harvest.  Replacing plants annually creates an issue of small, immature and juvenile root systems and less root mass contact with the water.

We will keep you posted on the ACF Floating Wetland systems!  To Deploy one of these systems in your waterway, call Kevin @ 904-294-2656.

Lake Loktak - Natural Floating Wetlands - Phumids

Indescribable!  Check out the natural floating wetlands in Lake Loktak - then 'Google' Lake Loktak and join the preservation efforts.

These natural floating wetlands are called 'Phumids'.

Need a floating wetland for your project?  Call us. 904-294-2656.http://picasaweb.google.com/neceer.imp/LoktakLakeLifelineOfManipurJoinWORLDWIDESAVELOKTAKLAKECAMPAIGNAt7thMarch2010#5437313429457862402

Floating Wetlands in Florida - Cleaning Stormwater

 

Can Floating Wetlands continue to uptake nutrients in the cooler weather?  Absolutely.  Though plant growth may slow during shorter days and cooler temps, many continue the photosynthesis process even after freezes.  The picture here is a tussock - floating wetland or floating wetland treatment system after one of the coldest winters on record here in Florida.  Thought he temperatures dipped into the 20's during nights for several weeks, many of the plants continued their steady growth.  Seen above, the canna exhibits frost damage however the Juncus and grasses are still growing.

ACF's floating wetland platforms use aquatic plants from certified wetland nurseries, the intent being to keep inadvertent exotic or invasive weeds out of the island.

These Florida Native Aquatic Plants sequester nutrients such as Nitrogen and Phosphorus in the leaves primarily, and in the roots also.  The upper biomass can be harvested and composted, thereby completing the nutrient removal cycle.  Years of documented research by Dr. Reddy of the University of Florida sets forth the average nutrient content of different Florida native aquatic species.  Some species will uptake more nitrogen than phosphorous, others more phosphorous than nitrogen.  Choose the best aquatic for your particular water quality issue.

Be aware - some Floating Wetland distributors may tell you you must change out the plants every year.  This may be nothing more than a business model sales pitch.  They make their money on selling you more and more plants.  I've heard of pitches where the salesman will say the upper biomass does not contain nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous but only the roots do.  Basic botany says otherwise.  Your floating wetland should last for years without having to replace vegetation.

Floating Wetlands - helping keep Florida's waterways clean.  Call for more information 904-294-2656.

Floating Wetlands for Cleaning Florida's Stormwater

Call Kevin Songer, 904-204-2656 for more information.