Floating Treatment Wetlands

This fact sheet from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) explains the function and effectiveness of Floating Treatment Wetlands (FTWs) as a bioremediation tool for improving freshwater lake health by removing nutrients and contaminants.

• Floating Treatment Wetlands (FTWs) are artificial platforms that enable aquatic emergent plants to grow in water depths that would normally be too deep for them. These systems remove nutrients and contaminants through plant uptake and the creation of a biofilm on the roots and platform material, where microbes perform up to 80 per cent of the nutrient uptake and degradation.
• Research conducted at the University of Manitoba indicates that FTW plants can effectively remove herbicides and certain pharmaceuticals from freshwater bodies.
• A comparative study at the IISD Experimental Lakes Area demonstrated the effectiveness of FTWs in removing excess phosphorus. Cattail plants in Lake 227 (high phosphorus) showed eight times the productivity, five times the root growth, and absorbed four times the amount of phosphorus compared to those in Lake 114 (normal phosphorus levels).
• FTWs are applicable across various freshwater environments to improve water quality, including streams, lakes, wastewater lagoons, stormwater ponds, tailings ponds, landfill leachate, 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} }