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Floating Vegetated Islands

A bunded floating wetland, engineered to manage seasonal algae by treating water within a constant-depth recirculating system.


Project Details

  • Client: City of Swan

  • Date: 2016

  • Location: Emu Lake, Western Australia



About This Project


The Challenge

Emu Lake experiences periods of high inflow from seasonal rainfall in adjacent urban areas, and dry periods where evaporation can nearly dry the lake - a water level difference of up to 2-3m. Nutrients associated with these flows had caused a seasonal algae issue, and a solution was needed to "treat" the water.


The Solution

ICM proposed a bunded area with automatic pumps to maintain a constant water depth, creating a smaller recirculating wetland within the lake itself. The floating island layout was driven by the number of islands required to effectively treat the lake's nutrient levels, considering island configuration, surrounding space requirements, and the water depths needed to optimise performance.


The bund design used an impermeable clay bund to create a separate, consistent water-level area for treatment. This included defining a curved bund alignment tailored to the site for natural foreshore integration and lower visual impact, assessing bund stability and permeability using SLOPE/W and SEEP/W software, designing an impermeable liner as a contingency if clay materials proved insufficient, a rip-rap armour layer to protect against wave action, and a stone-pitched weir sized to accommodate outflows without scour - supported by design drawings and quantities.


Services Provided

  • Bund Design

  • Floating Wetland Configuration


Get in Touch

With decades of experience in nature-based water quality solutions, International Coastal Management specialises in engineered wetlands that balance ecological performance with site constraints. Contact us today to discuss your upcoming project.



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