Floating Treatment Wetlands

Floating Treatment Wetlands (FTWs) are artificial platforms that enable aquatic plants to grow in deep water, utilizing a combination of plant uptake and microbial biofilms to remove pollutants. Research by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) demonstrates that FTWs can significantly reduce phosphorus levels, remove certain pharmaceuticals and herbicides, and potentially mitigate oil spills. The system is applicable to various freshwater environments, including lakes, stormwater ponds, and wastewater lagoons.

• Floating Treatment Wetlands (FTWs) function by providing a surface for aquatic plants and microbes to absorb nutrients and break down contaminants. A significant portion of nutrient uptake and degradation, up to 80 per cent, is performed by the microbe community within the biofilm that forms on the plant roots and island material.
• Experimental results from the IISD Experimental Lakes Area show that FTWs are highly effective at removing excess phosphorus. In a comparison between a high-phosphorus lake (Lake 227) and a normal-level lake (Lake 114), cattail plants in Lake 227 exhibited five times the root growth and absorbed four times the amount of phosphorus.
• Research conducted at the University of Manitoba indicates that FTW plants can effectively remove herbicides and certain pharmaceuticals from freshwater systems.
• FTWs are versatile tools for water remediation and can be deployed in diverse settings, including lakes, streams, wastewater lagoons, landfill leachate, tailings ponds, stormwater ponds, and oil spill sites.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). Floating Treatment Wetlands. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/floating-wetlands-brochure.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Floating Treatment Wetlands. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/floating-wetlands-brochure.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Floating Treatment Wetlands |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/floating-wetlands-brochure.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndfloating, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Floating Treatment Wetlands}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/floating-wetlands-brochure.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }