Water Treatment Proven by Twelve Years of Independent Research
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Proven, Patented Technology
Floating Island International (FII) first developed BioHaven® floating island technology to clean up water in 2005. Since then, they have launched over 8,000 islands worldwide. They work with a network of licensees and distributors in the US and globally. Floating Island International and the BioHaven family of products have numerous patents behind its unique, groundbreaking technology.
The Science Behind WaterRR's Vision
BioHaven Floating Islands harness natural biological processes to clean water. The science of adapting designs from nature to solve modern problems is called biomimicry. After thoroughly investigating naturally-occurring floating islands, we modeled and designed BioHaven Floating Islands, then applied years of research to making them the engineered technology they are today.
WaterRR's mission is to make water quality projects affordable and achievable by creating economic and social benefits that help to offset costs and generate revenue. We incorporate collaborative technologies that synergize with BioHaven to bring complete and affordable solutions. These include hyperaccumulator plants that accelerate removal of contaminants and state-of-the-art nano-bubbler aeration powered by solar panels mounted on the island. What is a Biohaven Floating Island?
BioHaven Floating Islands are a type of floating treatment wetland. They have pockets filled with soil to receive plants, which grow down through the island and form a large root-mass in the water below. The top of the island sits above the water line to provide an aerobic zone to promote plant growth and oxygen transfer. The BioHaven matrix and plant roots create a massive surface area for the formation of biofilm - most of us recognize this as "slime" - which is abundant in microscopic life that pulls nutrients out of the water. Biofilm feeds the food chain; the greater abundance and diversity a water body supports, the more nutrients are consumed by beneficial life and less is left over to feed algae.
BioHavens do not have to be planted to be effective. Research proves that the surface area of the BioHaven matrix alone generates effective amounts of biofilm. This is important when BioHavens are considered as platforms without plants. BioHavens are an engineered product made of superior materials, approved for safety and fitness for use in the toughest conditions. Imagine a floating mat with the texture of a loofah. They are adjustably buoyant, yet resilient, able to sustain the growth of perennial plants and trees over many years. They can support small buildings, such as gazebos and greenhouses. Manufactured using recycled non-BPA PET, our "matrix" substrate is sourced from the highest quality plastics mandated by the EPA for use in drinking water bottles. It can stand up to harsh weather and other tough conditions indefinitely. The islands are coated with a deep layer of UV-impermeable ‘armor’ which toughens it against internal degradation and damage inflicted by wildlife. This extends the lifespan up to sixty years. BioHaven Floating Islands can be retrofitted into any pond, lake or lagoon without disturbing the infrastructure. It is a perennial system so only a minimal amount of maintenance is required to check that all parts are working as expected. Holistic Treatment Of Algae
BioHaven Floating Islands represent a holistic way to remove the problem-causing nutrients from a waterway and convert them into a beautiful and wildlife-enhancing floating island habitat. The process starts with the massive surface area provided by FII’s BioHaven matrix which “houses” more microbes, and more microbes equal cleaner and healthier water.
The microbes that form biofilm on BioHaven Floating Islands feed from the same nutrients that algae feed from. The more BioHavens doing duty as housing units for biofilm, the more microbes are present in the pond. The more food they eat, the more they will starve out algae. In addition to supplying surface area for biofilm, the roots of the island plants extending downward keep usable oxygen in the water, carrying it to a depth of up to four feet, the zone where the majority of a pond’s life abounds. As biofilm exudes a sticky polymeric substance (EPS), it becomes surrounded by periphyton that provides plant-like food for aquatic invertebrates and small fish. As each trophic level is consumed by the next, phosphorus is used up and - when eventually harvested - leaves the pond for good. So, biofilm is at the heart of the process by supporting many pathways for removal of nutrients. A floating island also decreases the water temperature in its shade by almost three degrees Fahrenheit, which is significant for all life that is susceptible to extreme heat. These biological processes will not eliminate algae altogether but will prevent them developing into a monoculture and choking the water body, depriving it of oxygen. Over time, the pond will develop a new balance and the problem of HABs, odor, and toxic water will be a thing of the past.
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In 2015, Bruce Kania gave a talk for TEDx Billings entitled "Transition Water." He describes how we clean water by resurrecting the food web. We can "transition" eutrophic water from a choked-up state back towards its pristine state by kickstarting the lowest levels of the food chain and watching it come alive with abundance - from microbes to zooplankton, macro invertebrates, nymphs, scuds, crawfish, minnows through to big bass. A productive water body uses up nutrients that would otherwise turn into algae.
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Backed by More Than 10 Years of Research
At Fish Fry Lake near Shepherd, Montana USA, Floating Treatment Wetlands were used to mitigate lake eutrophication. Enhanced circulation and nutrient uptake were used as simple, cost-effective water treatment strategies that transformed agricultural effluent into world-class fish habitat.
In Barrington, Illinois, the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission named the “BioHaven® FTWs Remove Algae & Create Wildlife Habitat” project the Best Management Practice (BMP) Project of the Year. See summaries of all BioHaven Case Studies |
Water before and after treatment by BioHaven Floating Island
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Testimonials
Eric Butts, Engineer, Moonlight Basin Water & Sewer District:
"The performance of the Floating Treatment Wetlands has far exceeded our expectations. Disposal of treated effluent for our utility has been nutrient-constrained, specifically nitrogen, and the reduction we’ve seen greatly improves our operating capacity. And we’re proud to be applying considerably less nitrogen to the environment. We’re excited to see what this technology can do for us in the future."
David Mumford, Public Works Director, City of Billings, MT:
"Floating Island International has participated with the City of Billings both financially and through technical analysis in demonstration projects for stormwater with in-stream water quality filtering and effluent lagoon treatment using FII islands. Both projects have demonstrated significant improvements to water quality. The City of Billings was interested in FII technologies to meet our MS4 stormwater requirements and the pending Numeric Nutrient Wastewater Standards. Montana DEQ is currently developing Numeric Trading Policies that will allow large point-source wastewater dischargers to trade with point and non-point source dischargers to meet numeric standards. Our demonstration project was to determine if FII technology could be used as a tool to achieve standards through trading. The use of FII islands to achieve improvements in a wastewater lagoon is a cost effective method to improve discharge effluent for smaller point-source dischargers to be used in trading discharge limits. All preliminary data indicate the FII islands provide significant improvements to the wastewater lagoon effluent quality."
Installation & Implementation
Plants
There is a wide choice of plants available, depending on the environment.
First of all, climate-specific, perennial plants should be chosen. The main objective is to provide maximum surface-area for biofilm to grow on that will stay in the water and be productive for many years.
Wetland plants are the most assured to grow and are effective in any conditions. Preferred plants for nutrient removal include species of Carex. These also have the advantage of producing excellent root biomass.
Tall plants should be avoided around solar panels.
Plants that are unpalatable to waterfowl and other wildlife are recommended, such as woody perennials. In areas where waterfowl are prevalent, we recommend covering with bird netting until the plants are well-enough established not to be pulled out. After they have tied in to the matrix, the netting can be removed.
BioHavens are introducing a perennial system where biofilm is the most important element and the plants are present mainly to further its growth. Biofilm is constantly being renewed by predation and does not plug up or plateau in its effectiveness as a nutrient-removal pathway.
Hyperaccumulator plants and endophytes are specialist plants that may be specified for a project to accelerate removal or produce exceptional biomass. These plants will not necessarily be subject to the generalizations above and will have their own unique requirements.
First of all, climate-specific, perennial plants should be chosen. The main objective is to provide maximum surface-area for biofilm to grow on that will stay in the water and be productive for many years.
Wetland plants are the most assured to grow and are effective in any conditions. Preferred plants for nutrient removal include species of Carex. These also have the advantage of producing excellent root biomass.
Tall plants should be avoided around solar panels.
Plants that are unpalatable to waterfowl and other wildlife are recommended, such as woody perennials. In areas where waterfowl are prevalent, we recommend covering with bird netting until the plants are well-enough established not to be pulled out. After they have tied in to the matrix, the netting can be removed.
BioHavens are introducing a perennial system where biofilm is the most important element and the plants are present mainly to further its growth. Biofilm is constantly being renewed by predation and does not plug up or plateau in its effectiveness as a nutrient-removal pathway.
Hyperaccumulator plants and endophytes are specialist plants that may be specified for a project to accelerate removal or produce exceptional biomass. These plants will not necessarily be subject to the generalizations above and will have their own unique requirements.
System maintenance on all aspects of Solar BioHaven is essential to the proper working and safety of the installation.
Quarterly / post-storm maintenance includes:
Annual maintenance:
Replace the items that might fail or go out of warranty in the next 12 months.
Every three years / 6 years / per warranty:
Replace the major items
Quarterly / post-storm maintenance includes:
- Checking cables and anchor attachment points
- Checking all elements of the solar system, including power connections
- Checking nano-bubbler operation
- Monitoring plant growth, removing invasives, trimming excessive top growth periodically, remove netting (one time).
Annual maintenance:
Replace the items that might fail or go out of warranty in the next 12 months.
Every three years / 6 years / per warranty:
Replace the major items
The Elephant In The Room: A Statement About Plastics
Please don't confuse the PET plastic in our recycled BioHaven matrix with the microplastic harming our oceans. Not all plastic is the same. The plastic ocean globs are formed from microbeads in exfoliators, single use plastic bags, microfibers from fleece clothing, and other detritus not fit to be present in water and too small to be trapped by wastewater treatment plants.
Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which are produced by the microbes that grow in BioHaven's matrix, may actually help to block or even remove microplastics from water. Read more...
Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which are produced by the microbes that grow in BioHaven's matrix, may actually help to block or even remove microplastics from water. Read more...
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The WaterRR and Floating Island International teams have 15 years' experience in designing, building and deploying BioHaven Technology in settings ranging from small ponds to large lakes,
in all climate zones where there is open water.