Page 14 - Port of Baltimore Magazine - July/August 2013

[12] The Port of Baltimore ■ July/August 2013 To subscribe or renew, visit www.marylandports.com
Environmental Stewardship at the Port of Baltimore > > > GreenPort
BY NANCY MENEFEE JACKSON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL MCALLEN
Port Floats Wetlands to
Improve Water Quality
I n late June, the Port of Baltimore launched not a ship but
a different kind of floating device — a wetlands island
ecosystem made from recycled materials.
The floating island ecosystem in the pond at Masonville Cove
will do more than just the microbial work of removing pollutants
from the water; it also helps the Maryland Port Administration
(MPA) comply with water pollution regulations, is an educational
tool and adds an attractive mix of plants to the landscape.
Bill Richardson, Environmental Manager with the MPA, said
the site was chosen for both aesthetic and educational reasons.
The pond is near the Masonville Environmental Education Center,
so visitors can learn about the role of wetlands as well as the
use of recycled materials. “We thought it could be utilized as an
educational forum,” he said. >>>
Living Classrooms Foundation
participants helped fill the
planting holes atop the
floating wetlands.