The Chattahoochee River flows 436 miles (701 kilometres) from its headwaters in the North Georgia mountains to the confluence with the Flint River at Lake Seminole. Georgia’s capital, Atlanta, is nestled along the river just south of Lake Lanier.
The Chattahoochee River provides drinking water for approximately 5 million of Atlanta’s residents, roughly 70% of the city’s metro area. Stormwater assets along this pristine system of creeks and waterways are essential to preserve water quality and protect wildlife habitat.
About 200 miles downstream of the headwaters sits Columbus, Georgia, the state’s second-largest city. The city of Columbus has numerous parks, including Cooper Creek Park, which offers ample recreational opportunities for residents. The park boasts a large tennis facility, picnic areas, walking trails, birding, and a large reservoir for fishing.
Cooper Creek (the namesake of the park) flows into the park from the northern boundary and provides the water needed for the reservoir.
We express our appreciation for the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper for their assistance on this project, and for the imagery and videos showcasing this Floating Treatment Wetlands installation at Cooper Creek.
The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper was established in 1994, and is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving and monitoring the Chattahoochee River and its upstream environments.
Designing Green Trash Booms: A Sustainable Stormwater Solution
In partnership with Atlan Stormwater and Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, a Floating Treatment Wetlands was installed to tackle stormwater pollution. This unique installation marks one of North America’s first uses of floating treatment assets as a trash boom.
Traditional litter booms are an effective means of capturing gross pollutants; however, they lack natural aesthetics and the ability to integrate with local ecosystems. Atlan Stormwater’s modular Floating Treatment Wetlands provided an ideal solution, which mixed capabilities for pollution capture with the biological benefits of a green asset.
Initially scheduled for a two day install program, favourable conditions resulted in a seamless one-day installation. Facilitated by Atlan Stormwater’s Australian and American teams – they were joined by local volunteers from the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper who delivered key assistance with planting and species selection.
Spanning Cooper Creek in a V-shaped configuration, the forty-two module installation demonstrates the flexibility of the modular system. This V-shape will funnel trash into collection points, capturing pollutants including plastics and litter.
A traversable system, the Floating Treatment Wetlands allow for ease of maintenance and plant replacement with their removable modules and planting baskets.
With its capability to be designed in custom shapes and spatial configurations, Atlan’s Floating Treatment Wetlands meets a diverse range of footprint requirements. The ability to add additional modules or reconfigure layouts provides long-term versatility for projects with changing watershed characteristics.
Floating Treatment Wetlands are a biomimetic system that mirrors natural floating island ecosystems. Floating on the water’s surface, their growth media enables the establishment of plants specifically chosen to suit local waterways. For this installation, twenty-seven different native plant species were selected, including Swamp Milkweed (A. incarnata), Blue Eryngo (E. integrifolium), Scarlet Hibiscus (H. coccineus) and various pollinator plants.
Enhancing biodiversity, the vegetation and subsurface root systems of the Floating Treatment Wetlands will provide habitat for local species, which include fish, birds, reptiles, frogs and turtles.
As the roots of these plants grow into the water column, they create a complex system of biofilm, driving a network of biological stormwater treatment pathways. Providing large surface areas for treatment, the microogranisms in the biofilm improve water quality through natural processes, including sedimentation, nitrification, and phosphorylation. These processes cycle nutrients and have additional benefits including reductions in algal blooms.
Integrating pollution capture with natural ecosystems, the Atlan Floating Treatment Wetlands provides a green, sustainable approach to stormwater management in the Chattahoochee catchment.
Generating local press coverage, the installation serves not only as long-term infrastructure but also as a vital touchpoint for the local community to consider the impacts of stormwater on receiving waterways. A holistic solution for improving water quality, these systems will provide ongoing opportunities for education and community involvement.
Community feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with the installation striking a balance between stormwater treatment, aesthetics and the support of local biodiversity. Preserving Joy in Water in this iconic catchment will support the protection of the Chattahoochee River system and ensure future generations can experience the beauty of Cooper Creek.
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