A Winnipeg team – including RRC researchers – is investigating the feasibility of using floating cattail platforms to clean up harmful nutrients in Lake Winnipeg.
While existing cattail plants in the lake feed on phosphorus and nitrogen – nutrients that create toxic algae – they are limited to growth in shallow water. The team hopes to solve this problem by creating floating bioplatforms that could allow the cattails to grow anywhere in the water.
RRC is supporting the project in several ways, including a co-operative student from the Greenspace Management program, Jade Raizenne, who is working with Native Plant Solutions on cattail propagation. Ruth Rob, an instructor in the Greenspace Management program, has also worked with Curry Industries on two Technology Advisory Support Service reports to assist bioplatform development.
To learn more about the potential of this research, check out CBC’s recent coverage of the project:

Story: Cattails could help restore Lake Winnipeg