Pilot project filters road salt before it hits our waterways

Constructed wetland offers applied solution

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) created the three-acre (1.6-hectare) constructed wetland which was strategically placed between the Berry Mills snow dump and a local watercourse, where it holds and filters the snowmelt, thanks in part to plantings of salt-resistant vegetation.  “Our environmental services division, Conservation PRO, has a long history of using our research and science to build constructed wetlands for filtering contaminants and excess nutrients,” says Adam Campbell,  DUC’s manager of operations in Atlantic Canada. “It is great to adapt a proven model for this purpose.”

Overall, results showed a reduction in chloride levels between 66 per cent to 93 per cent when comparing water samples from the inlet and outlet of the wetland, suggesting it is functioning well in reducing chloride levels.

“We’re pleased with the results we’ve seen so far. Clearly wetlands and green infrastructure can go a long way towards filtering a lot of the pollutants that get scooped up during snow removal operations. We look forward to applying these and other solutions in the future to help protect the quality of our waterbodies,” said Tim Moerman, director of environmental planning and management at the City of Moncton.

Campbell agrees that DUC is equally excited about the results of the project, what they have learned, and the prospects for expanding this practice across the region and country.

Moncton: A municipality leading the way with innovative natural solutions

This isn’t the first time DUC has worked with the City of Moncton on using innovative natural solutions like wetlands to address urban water quality challenges. In 2015, the City, along with DUC and its environmental services team at Native Plant Solutions, engineers and other partners, drafted a set of naturalized stormwater management guidelines to set parameters for constructing retention ponds, recognizing that managing stormwater could be done in a way that adds to the quality of life in a community. Moncton was then recognized with an environmental award from the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators for their development of the guidelines. They also provide municipal guidelines for the city and developers to implement other naturalized approaches, such as rain gardens that contain plants capable of withstanding extreme moisture and nutrients. Their innovative document transformed all the future development in the city.