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The Times of India
The Times of India
World
TOI World Desk

England turns unused wastewater tank into floating wetland with 3,296 plants

An unused wastewater tank in Somerset, England, has been repurposed as a floating wetland designed to improve water quality and create habitat for wildlife. In May 2026, Biomatrix Water worked with YTL Construction UK to install 275 square metres of floating wetlands at Cheddar Water Recycling Centre for Wessex Water. The floating wetland sits on a retired aeration ditch and consists of 82 interlocking modules supporting 3,296 aquatic plants. Their submerged roots provide surfaces for microbial communities that can help remove pollutants from water. The installation is intended to improve the quality of water from stormwater overflows before it reaches a nearby watercourse. Within 3 months, a pair of ducks had also settled on the wetland and raised a brood, according to Biomatrix Water. However, the site’s treatment performance has yet to be established through water sampling.

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