BioHaven floating islands help Sentinel students learn nature knows best

Biomimicry — imitating natural processes through technology — is currently being used to purify one of Missoula’s waterways.

Two ninth grade classes from Sentinel High School went to the base of Pattee Canyon on Thursday to visit a "desiltation pond" that collects stormwater runoff from the houses above. Because stormwater carries chemicals from people’s yards, or salt from the streets, it needs to be filtered before joining the Clark Fork river, lest it disturb the delicate aquatic ecosystem.

To help filter out harmful chemicals and silt, a Sentinel science class two years ago helped to install revolutionary technology in the pond: BioHaven floating islands http://www.floatingislandinternational.com/products/biohaven-technology/ . They’re small islands made of recycled plastic, and planted with native plants like sedges and wildflowers. The plants’ roots, as they grow, hang down in the water and act as a filter for sediments and solids.

LUCY TOMPKINS [email protected]

http://missoulian.com/news/local/hall-passages-sentinel-students-learn-nature-knows-best/article_bd1ebf2f-ae23-5a0f-b760-d4804021fede.html

***

BioHaven® floating islands (also known as floating treatment wetlands or FTWs) are a new and powerful tool in water stewardship. They biomimic natural floating islands to create a "concentrated" wetland effect. Independent laboratory tests showed removal rates far in excess of previously published data: 20 times more nitrate, 10 times more phosphate and 11 times more ammonia, using unplanted islands. They are also extremely effective at reducing total suspended solids and dissolved organic carbon in waterways.

http://www.floatingislandinternational.com/products/biohaven-technology/