Floating Treatment Wetland installation at Kensington 1 Storm Pond August 28
The Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds (SAW), in partnership with the City of Saskatoon, Water Security Agency, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Meewasin Valley Authority, will be installing floating treatment wetlands in the Kensington 1 Stormwater Pond on August 28.
Employees of SAW, Meewasin, and the City of Saskatoon, along with youth volunteers from WILD Outside, will be present at the Kensington 1 Stormwater Pond site planting vegetation on the floating wetland platforms before they are launched into the pond and anchored in place with concrete blocks.
The floating treatment wetland installation and demonstration site will showcase practices that can be adopted by communities to build resiliency to the effects of climate change and extreme weather events. The demonstration site will consist of 12 floating wetland island platforms with native plants. The floating treatment wetlands are expected to provide ecosystem services to the South Saskatchewan River Watershed, including:
- Nutrient load reduction
- Reduced algal growth
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions
- Habitat for wildlife and pollinators
- Improved water quality
The stormwater pond will be tested annually for five years by SAW following installation to track the effect of the floating treatment wetlands on water quality within the storm pond.
For full project details, please visit saskwatersheds.ca.