by Bianca Garcia
WBUR News
The Fort Point floating wetland is one of more than 200 projects Biomatrix has installed in over 20 countries. But this one is unusual because it’s in salt water — a much harsher environment than the company’s other freshwater projects.
A similar floating wetland has been a seasonal feature in the Charles River since 2020. Each year, after the winter river ice melts, members of the nonprofit Charles River Conservancy use a tugboat to shepherd the island from its hibernation spot at the MIT sailing pavilion back to its post near the Longfellow Bridge.
Every summer for the past decade, toxic algae has bloomed in the river, driven in part by warmer weather and heavy rain. The artificial wetland is Charles River Conservancy’s executive director Laura Jasinski’s attempt to combat the perennial problem.
She partnered with Max Rome, then a Ph.D student at Northeastern University studying urban water quality, to set the Charles River island afloat.