Floating wetlands proposed for River Irwell
Salford City Council’s procurement board will next week consider putting out to tender a chance to design and build a series of islands along the River Irwell.
These interconnected, modular floating wetlands would sit along the Ordsall riverside. The high-buoyancy units would be made of high-density polyethylene and stainless steel, filled with light expanded clay aggregate, compost, woodchips, and planting.
The goal is for a series of manmade islands that boost biodiversity, improve water quality, and are interesting to look at, according to a council report.
Salford City Council has given the project a budget of £248,000, most of which would come from Section 106 agreements. The remaining £78,000 would come from the Environment Agency Water Environment Improvement Framework.
Should councillors vote to go ahead with the tender, it would be advertised on FTS and The Chest. The contract would be a design-and-build one, with those bidding able to propose their own technical solutions for delivery.
Floating wetlands are nothing new and can be found outside Glasgow Science Centre and along the Regent’s Canal in London. Earlier this year, University of Portsmouth and Southern Water began a floating wetlands research project to try and measure the impact these islands could have on water quality in Southcoast Wake Park. Perhaps one of the most famous floating wetlands is the Sengkang Floating Wetland at Punggol Reservoir, pictured at the top of this article.
