How can you help?
When we first started, we looked at our own home, Dallas, and identified our issues with our river. Now that we've determined that our solution is viable, it's time to expand, starting with you, the viewer.
First off, you have to keep in mind of where you live. Since we deal with a water issue, you tend to need to have a steady water source in your environment. Since our method works best with rivers, it is recommended to have one. Alternatively, there is a smaller design that is meant for local use in filtering runoff in neighborhoods. (See Method for river design, video for street.l)
Upon deciding the scale of model, we recommend that you look into the variety of pants that are local to your area. General plants that can be used tend to reproduce quickly, so make sure that your species is not especially invasive. Contacting local environmental groups in your area is a great way to make sure of this, as they tend to have more information than online resources. For North America and Europe, cattails, common reed, and duckweed are prevalent in the marshlands, and thus they can most likely used in the design with only a minor concern for invasion. For a general table, see our information on plants and their costs.
(Common reed, left. Duckweed, center. Cattails, right)
Plants established? Great! Now establish a zone in which the structure can be built. Riversides enclosed by a perimeter to avoid spread of the species beyond the desired location often serve to work the best. If you lack a river, backyards or empty lots/unused strips serve as optimal locations to help reduce the flow of pollutants into the water table.(Below, bioswale offroad)
The zone you established is well and all, but budgeting is always key. Each plant used can usually be bought in bulk, if not harvested yourself from local areas, but even then, the costs rack up to perhaps 100$ for a medium sized house plot. Boundaries as well as payment to build need to be taken into effect, so if you plan to build, commitment is key in this situation. Contacting your city development office and others of the sorts often works wonders if you mention that it is for the betterment of the environment.(Below:Basic Design)
Qualitative Information
Cost of Plants
Plant Type Function Examples* and Costs
Flowering Shoreline Remove Excess Nutrients Golden Cannas- $20/plant
Lanceleaf Frogfruit- $15-$30/plant
“Bengal Tiger” Canna Hybrid- $22/plant
Grass-Type Shoreline Removes Excess Nutrients/Oil/Bacteria Rushes- $0.40/plant
(E. Coli & Salmonella)/heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Ni) Bulrushes- $0.60/plant
Floating Absorbs Excess Nutrients Water Lilies- $20-30/plant
Water Poppies- $5/plant
Submerged Reduce Algae Blooms & Filter Chemicals like American Wild Celery- $0.50/plant
Nitrogen and Phosphorus Canadian Pondweed- $2.50-$5.00/plant
*- Plants that are suitable for most climates
Plant Type Examples Climates/Locations
Flowering Shoreline Golden Cannas Tropical and Temperate
Lanceleaf Frogfruit Southern Half of North America
“Bengal Tiger” Canna Hybrid India
Yellow Flag Iris Europe, Western Asia, Northwest Africa
Blue Flag Iris North America
Grass-Type Shoreline Rushes Wetlands
Bulrushes Wetlands
Spikerush Tropical and Subtropical
Floating Water Lilies Tropical and Temperate
Water Poppies Subtropical
Submerged American Wild Celery Louisiana, USA
Canadian Pondweed* North America
Anarchis North/South America
Hornwort Damp or Humid
*- Must be placed in controlled areas because they can be invasive