Floating Wetlands Grow In Baltimore's Inner Harbor
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—Cleaning the Inner Harbor one plant at a time. Dozens of wetlands are now floating in front of the World Trade Center.
Andrea Fujii tells us it's thanks to the work of middle schoolers.
Fifty floating wetlands were set adrift in the Inner Harbor in an effort clean the water of pollutants, which harm the marine ecosystem.
"I've seen sandwiches and wrappers, water bottles, everything," said Ranoah Johnson, sixth-grader.
So 20 middle school students from The Crossroads School, together with the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore, are building the biggest floating wetlands in the state.
"Plastic pieces harm the fish. The cigarette butts that people flick on the ground, they get washed down the drain and into the harbor," said Laurie Schwartz, Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore.
By June the roots of these plants will grow below the planks and become food for the fish.
The wetlands are in front of the World Trade Center for thousands of people to see.
"They'll help clean the water, but we have a large body of water here, so more than anything they're really an educational opportunity," Schwartz said.
It's an opportunity that Baltimore youth are helping with first-hand, and providing a healthy habitat for generations to come.
"Everything needs to live and have its own place to be happy," said Matthew Cunningham, sixth-grader.
The floating wetlands will be in front of the World Trade Center for the next five years.
