Vegetated Floating Islands Enhance the Ability of Wetlands to Reduce Nutrients and Other Pollutants was a paper presented at the State NRM Conference ‘Finding the Balance: Healthy Environment, Productive Economy’, 21–23 September 2015 at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre, Western Australia by Mr Bernie Masters.

Summary
“Natural and constructed wetlands have been used to improve water quality in urban, industrial and agricultural environments for more than 40 years. Initially, pollutant uptake by wetland plants was assumed to be the primary removal mechanism but research now shows that bacterial/algal biofilms growing on all solid surfaces within the water column remove more than 80% of pollutants, although plants are needed to transfer oxygen and carbon to biofilms to maximise their pollutant-removal capacity.

Vegetated floating islands designed to maximise biofilm development were commercialised in the USA in the mid-2000s. Their placement on the surface of wetlands and other waterbodies significantly increases the area of biofilm capable of removing nutrients and other pollutants, while also shading the water column, reducing water temperature and creating useful wildlife habitat. This paper summarises the science which underpins their pollutant-reduction abilities and lists the current suppliers of floating islands in Australia.” Bernie Masters Presentation.pdf

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