New water treatment tech installed near Lake O
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation reported that the S-191 Basin Surface Runoff Phosphorus Removal Project, managed by the South Florida Water Management District, is now in operation and it is projected to prevent 3.5 metric tons of total phosphorus per year from entering Lake Okeechobee.
It is possible thanks to a water treatment technology using galvanic cells, installed by NuQuatic. The cells can treat over 8 million gallons of water per day. On June 7, SCCF Policy Associate Allie Pecenka attended an open house for the project, where officials explained how the technology works.
“High levels of nutrients are a primary driver of harmful algal blooms in Lake Okeechobee that can then be transported to our coasts,” she said. “This project is one of many that will be necessary to prevent nutrients from entering lake Okeechobee, and a step towards the restoration of the greater Everglades.”
The project is located in the Taylor Creek/Nubbin Slough subwatershed in Okeechobee County.
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