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One year after their installation, the innovative ‘floating ecosystems’ have improved the quality of the water in the Blessington Street Basin in Dublin city center.
The basin was once a drinking water reservoir for the city built in the 19th century and was later used by the Jameson and Power distilleries.
After closing as a reservoir, the basin water source was sealed and the large pond was filled with stagnant water.
Dublin City Council gardener Austin Dillon installed the floating ecosystems last year and has seen a dramatic improvement in water quality, leading to the park becoming a “protected haven for wildlife.”
The ecosystems are home to a variety of native Irish plants, whose roots go directly into the water. This allows plants to filter, consume, or break down pollutants.
They were developed by the Scottish company Biomatrix Water, and all three at the Blessington Basin are the first to be used in Ireland. They also started a project in Belfast last month.
Dillon said the pond was “full of algae” and that there was “no life in the pond” when he began working there in 2017.
Now, he said, the pond is a “haven for wildlife; ducks, fish, butterflies, bees.”
Mr. Dillon is hopeful that the success of the project can be replicated in other parks and waterways in the city.
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