The city of Baltimore’s Jones Falls river, which has been heavily polluted for decades, is now home to an artificial floating wetland that’s improving water quality, bringing back wildlife, and helping make it swimmable for people once again.
The Harbor Wetland, at 930-square-metres (10,000-square-feet), mimics the inner harbour’s original tidal marsh habitat, which was destroyed long ago when the harbour was dredged out. It’s covered in native shrubs and grasses, which help to filter the waterway.
The $14 million project is already native species like blue crabs, American eels, Eastern oysters and night herons, among other creatures. Equipped with an elevated walkway, it doubles as a free floating park for residents and visitors.
The wetland is situated between Piers 3 and 4 on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and is part of the National Aquarium.
“Harbor Wetland is the culmination of 12 years of research, innovation and determination,” the aquarium’s president and CEO, John Racanelli, said in a statement.
The installation is made up of recycled plastic matting and 32,000 shrubs and marsh grasses, whose roots extend into the water below, providing “microhabitats” for dozens of native species and drawing nutrients and contaminants from the water, according to the aquarium. Circulation is enhanced by an aeration system.
“We hear so much negative talk about Inner Harbor water quality, but there is life in this water and there always has been,” said Jack Cover, the aquarium’s general curator. “My hope is that when people see the life this wetland attracts, from tiny microorganisms to fishes, crabs, water birds and even small mammals like muskrats and otters—all of which we’re already seeing here—they might reconsider our local waterways and perhaps even take better care of our natural surroundings.”
