Concerns over the impacts of water pollution and a need for sustainable development have led to the exploration of various approaches to mitigating the nutrient enrichment in surface waters. In North Lake Park of Chenzhou, visitors can experience a unique vision of “floating island” which was made of special foam. Canna, pickerelweed, Thalia dealbata and other aquatic landscape plants were planted in this island. It was introduced by the park’s engineering department staff - Li Wanqun that this island can help to purify water, restore the ecosystem, and beautify the landscape.

“Ecological floating island” is the specific aquatic plants grown in a floating body, floating on the surface of water, equivalent to the construction of green bamboo rafts in the water garden (please refer to the above picture). The staff also introduced that this island was also called “ecological floating bed”. The buoyancy of island is provided by properties of new type watertight low density construction concrete grades which display high water-repelling performance. It is a kind of artificial island applied with the ecological engineering theories to degrade the chemical oxygen demand, nitrogen and phosphorus contents for the eutrophication water. Besides helping to purify the water, the plants in the island can also help improve the water quality, create a beautiful water landscape and becomes the new highlight of the water green..

North Lake is the scenery lake in Chenzhou center city. Because of hypoxia of water body and the heavy pollution, the lake almost becomes a dead lake. In order to improve this situation, the kind of “floating island” is introduced to restore the ecology. Li said it was the first time of applying this purifying water in Chenzhou city and Hunan province and this project covered about 1500 square meters, mainly at the east gate in the east square area of North Lake. One month later, when the flowers are planted in the island blossom, Chenzhou citizens can enjoy a special view of the lake.