When someone takes a bunch of plastic bottles and tosses them into a lake, we call that pollution. But Walnut Creek is doing just that, and they’re doing it for the environment.

There’s a man-made lake in Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek. Until recently, the lake was kept clean using chemical treatment. Local fishers and residents were upset with the level of chemicals that were being used to treat the lake, (and the subsequently small size of the fish) so they proposed an interesting solution.

On Tuesday, August 21st, Walnut Creek launched two 100 square foot islands. These small floating barges were created out of recycled plastic bottles and stuffed with soil by local schoolchildren. Within a year, these “BioHaven Floating Islands” will become a part of the lake’s ecosystem. The roots will absorb contaminants from the water. At the same time, the islands will act as shade for fish and cover for birds and insects.

For now, the islands are surrounded by fences to discourage geese. But once they begin to grow, the fences will be removed.

By introducing these islands, Walnut Creek aims to eliminate the use of chemical treatment. The $12,000 initial investment will be recouped by the savings in chemicals.

Since we often cover Walnut Creek junk hauling & removal jobs following our green hauling philosopy, we love to see these types of elegant and ecologically-friendly solutions. Rather than having a very sterile-feeling man made lake, Walnut Creek residents will be able to enjoy something much greener. We especially like to see that they invited schoolchildren to help plant and launch the islands.