Talking Water Gardens

Week 2

      Talking Water Gardens is a man made natural solution to water treatment of the water of the Albany-Millersburg area. Talking Water was once the Simpson Company Timber Mill but closed in 1989. These engineered wetlands receive cleaned water from the treatment plant. Water cannot go directly from the treatment plant to the Willamette because the used water is too warm. In order to cool it down and further purify it, it travels through three sets of wetlands, each with three ponds each. The ponds range in one to five feet deep with natural vegetation to help purify and cool the water before being put back in the Willamette.   

 This is one of the first ponds that the water travels through on its journey. The water treatment facility can be seen in the background.

This weeping wall is actually a part of the old foundation of the loading dock.

This small snail feeds off of the algae in the duckweed.