“Assessment of Floating Gardens to Improve the Water Quality of The Chicago River” presented by: Eric W. Peterson, Ph.D., Illinois State University Professor & Chair
Brimfield Public Library
Monday, March 24th
6:30pm
-Free Program
-Ages 18+
-No Registration Required
To remedy the symptoms of urban stream syndrome, artificial floating wetlands (AFW) were installed in segments of the Chicago River. AFWs are an ecosystem created with a buoyant substrate that support plants and allow them to grow hydroponically, with their roots dangling down into the water column. The typical focus of an AFW design is to provide low cost, low maintenance water purification, but AFWs can also protect shorelines, beautify, and create structure and habitat for riverine flora and fauna. The utility of AFWs to improve water quality has been explored, but the studies have been primarily microcosm/mesocosm experiments or system modeling, with limited study of how AFWs work in open water systems. The work on the Chiago River provides insight into the benefits of AFWs on flowing rivers. The work investigated the effectiveness of a small (pilot) AFW to remediate an urban stream in a small section of the Chicago River. The pilot AFW was designed to improve the aquatic habitat and enhance the aesthetics of the stream segment. However, we examined whether an AFW provided any in-situ benefits by addressing the following questions: 1) Does the AFW decrease nutrient concentrations, nitrate and phosphate, within the water column? 2) Are chloride concentrations of waters upstream from the AFW greater than chloride concentrations of waters downstream from the AFW? and 3) Are there seasonal differences in the effectiveness of an AFW to remove dissolved solutes?
Eric Peterson is a University Professor of Hydrogeology and Chair of the Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment at Illinois State University. Eric teaches a variety of courses on hydrogeology, aquifer systems, and surface water. Eric’s research focuses on the interaction of surface water and groundwater with a focus on agricultural and urban settings. Other aspects of his work include understanding the role of wetlands and saturated riparian buffers in improving the water quality from tile drained agricultural fields. Eric was named a Fellow of the Geological Society of America in 2013 and was recognized as the Outstanding University Researcher at ISU in 2023.
