Constructed Floating Wetlands Projects
TasWater – Constructed Floating Wetlands Trial
TasWater has partnered with Clarity Aquatic, Covey Associates and SCAADA to conduct a leading-edge 2 year trial of the use of constructed floating wetlands (CFWs) to improve the water quality of their treatment ponds at their Ross, Fingal and Western Junction sites.
WesternPort Water – Floating Wetlands Pilot Study
WesternPort Water has partnered with Clarity Aquatic, Deakin University, CSIRO and Covey Associates to conduct an innovative 2-year trial of the use of constructed floating wetlands (CFWs) to improve the water quality of their Cowes Wastewater Treatment Plant Pond on Phillip Island.
ACT Healthy Waterways — Yerrabi Pond
Clarity Aquatics was engaged by ACT Healthy Waterways to install floating wetlands in Yerrabi Pond due to ongoing algal bloom and poor water quality issues.
Clarity Aquatic CFW modules were selected for the project due to their superior robust design and due to specialised heavy duty anchoring systems available for Clarity Aquatic modules. A previously installed competitor’s floating wetland system had recently failed in Lake Tuggeranong due to wild weather conditions and ACT Healthy Waterways wanted to be 100% sure that no such failures would occur in Yerrabi Pond. Clarity Aquatics CFW modules were the only logical choice.
Darwin Aquaculture Farm
An aquaculture farmer in the Northern Territory was impressed by the design of the Clarity Aquatic modules and ordered 15 units to trial in one of his lakes. He and his team assembled the entire system over just a few days, and the trial has proven to be a great success. Following the positive results, he is now considering expanding the system across his other lakes. Please refer to the slide shown below.
Caloundra Recovery Resource Centre
In January 2020, Sunshine Coast Council (SSC) partnered with Clarity Aquatic to develop a Constructed Floating Wetland (CFW) pilot study to improve green waste runoff quality and to enhance HES basin processes.
To further enhance the treatment performance of the CFWs a specially designed aeration system was installed beneath the CFW modules. The use of aeration in tandem with the CFWs creates conditions that are even more hospitable to beneficial bacteria and pollutants are more rapidly taken up by plant tissues. The aeration also is highly effective in reducing BOD, in tandem with the above process.
The trial was a great success and SSC and Clarity are currently installing new modules to significantly increase the size of the treatment system.
Sundale Tewantin
In December 2019, Sundale partnered with Clarity Aquatic to install a Constructed Floating Wetland (CFW) system designed to treat stormwater runoff from a large catchment area.
Given the site’s vulnerability to flooding, Covey Associates engineered a robust, innovative anchoring system capable of allowing the CFWs to rise more than three metres during flood events and return to their original position as waters recede.
Since installation, the system has successfully weathered multiple flood events, demonstrating both durability and resilience. Plant growth has been outstanding, and the CFWs have now become a seamless part of the landscape – so well integrated they are barely visible.
Tailings Dam Trial
Clarity Aquatic CFWs were used in a trial at a mine site in central Queensland to treat and improve the quality of tailings dam water.The pilot study was successfully deployed and plant growth and water quality improvements looked promising for the first couple of months.Unfortunately, however, the mine was shut down three months after the pilot study was installed and the wetland treatment system was removed.The initial results were promising, and we hope to be able to try this remediation approach again at another mine or a similar site in future.
Given the site’s vulnerability to flooding, Covey Associates engineered a robust, innovative anchoring system capable of allowing the CFWs to rise more than three metres during flood events and return to their original position as waters recede.
Since installation, the system has successfully weathered multiple flood events, demonstrating both durability and resilience. Plant growth has been outstanding, and the CFWs have now become a seamless part of the landscape – so well integrated they are barely visible.
Kenilworth Sewage Treatment Plant, Unitywater
Clarity Aquatic has partnered with Unitywater and Covey Associates to conduct a leading-edge floating treatment wetlands trial and pilot study at Kenilworth Sewage Treatment Plant in South East Queensland. The trial aimed to demonstrate how wetlands can be used as a sustainable low- technology approach to enhance the treatment capacity of existing infrastructure and reduce the amount of nutrient discharged from the treatment plant.
Drayton Valley, Alberta
Further afield, Clarity Aquatic and Covey Associates are working closely with Brazeau County and the University of Alberta to assess how floating wetlands may enhance sewage treatment processes in clarifying ponds. This unique and exciting project represents one of the few full-scale floating wetland projects in cold-weather climates.
