An experiment underway in North Carolina will determine how well a new BMP of sorts works to control nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. Artificial islands—about 400 square feet each, made of green fiberglass and planted with wetland vegetation—are floating in ponds at Durham’s Museum of Life and Science and at a local golf course. The plants are supposed to absorb nutrients from the water as they grow.
The ponds drain into a creek that carries a heavy nutrient load. Two lakes in the area, Jordan Lake and Falls Lake, both suffer from excessive nitrogen and phosphorus, and local officials are looking for ways to reduce them.
The city of Durham, with funding from the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the US EPA, is spending about $180,000 to deploy 16 islands at the two locations and to conduct water-quality testing over the next year. Bill Hunt and other researchers from North Carolina State University will study the effects on water quality.
The islands’ manufacturer, Floating Island Southeast, says the plants will eventually cover the 10-inch-thick islands completely so that the fiberglass doesn’t show.