Protecting Swimming Waters with Nature-Based Solutions

Rain falls, water flows downstream, joining the land and water. Groundwater connects to rivers, rivers connect to bays, bays connect to the ocean. The water on Earth is all one flowing system.

When chemical pesticides or fertilizers slip into this system, they linger, upending the natural balance, and damage the health of humans, wildlife, and plants alike. To avoid these negative impacts, runoff must be caught and cleaned before the water flows onward. Enter the denitrifying curtain!

This structure is built with local, natural materials, and uses the natural processes that occur in soil to capture, remove, and render harmless the pollutants that flow from the land. By the time the water is released from the curtain structure into the water you see here, it has been cleaned and the balance has been restored. The denitrifying curtain, creating space and conditions for natural processes to occur, is self-sustaining. The effects of this ongoing water filtration protects and builds the health of the ecosystem and community - the entire watershed.