Ecological Labs holds presentation on canal test project
Ecological Laboratories Inc. (ELI) held an in-depth presentation on their Cabot Canal test project for the public at the VFW Post 8463 Thursday night.
The company, which is located in north Cape, has been treating algae-ridden waters in the Cabot Canal since Aug. 28 with their Microbe Lift product, at no charge to the city of Cape Coral.
A group of concerned residents, most of whom said that they live along the water, asked ELI staff many questions about their product and why they think it is the right treatment to help solve this crisis.
ELI staff took the time to go through each question asked.
So what has the preliminary testing looked like?
“The pollution level is horrific,” said Doug Dent, ELI senior vice president, of the baseline testing in the Cabot Canal-prior to their treatment.
Testing revealed that water was nine times more toxic than it should be.
Pictures of the before and after through the end of August to early September showed significant improvement.
As for the scientific numbers relating to toxicity levels; early on they actually increased a bit, but that can be seen as a somewhat positive sign, as the treatment is starting to drudge up the thick layers of muck at the bottom of canals that harvest toxic bacteria.
The most recent test results have shown a decrease in the bacteria levels, though they are not what they want them to be, the process is working, according to ELI staff.
“This is a biological, time-related process,” Dent said to those in attendance.
The Microbe-Lift product(the product being used in the canal) is completely organic, free of chemicals, that is used all over the world in lakes, ponds, rivers, and other fresh bodies of water like koi ponds or golf courses.
The product has been used in three other Florida locations to treat bodies of water (not open water, so no DEP approval needed) and have resulted in remediation of water quality.
ELI, thanks to the backing of Cape Coral Mayor Joe Coviello, and Utilities Director Jeff Pearson, got the OK from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection-something ELI has been searching for, for over a decade.
Dent said the eutrophication of Florida waters over the past 50 years is the reason why these green-water events occur.
He advocated that culture change is a huge part in stopping these blooms from growing into what they have become this summer.
ELI’s product can provide the tools to help clear the waters of algae and rid it of the toxins it carries, but if nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen keep making their way into our waterways via runoff at the currently alarming rate, the cycle will continue to repeat itself.
So how does the product work?
“We can convert nitrate compounds in water, called denitrification, that reduces nitrates and bubble off into the atmosphere,” Dent said.
Denitrification is a key function of ELI’s technologies capability and water management efforts for restoration and control of green water events.
Besides an increase in water clarity, this process will also see a reduction in the foul, nausea-inducing smell wafting off of the Nickelodeon slime colored water.
“We want to restore the ecosystem through a natural, biological process,” added Dent.
Essentially, they are treating the water with a group of microorganisms designed to enhance water quality.
These microorganisms will out-compete the bacteria for food, starving them off and work to restore a state of normalcy to the ecosystem.
Dent advocated that though this may provide somewhat of a solution, Floridians have to implement better practices.
ELI is hoping this trial run will lead them to make a bigger difference for Southwest Florida waters.
“Ultimately, we want to get to the source, which is Lake O,” said ELI Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Matthew Richter. “The first step is this test trial phase.”
A “water fence” was installed to section off a 620-foot long and 80-foot wide section of the canal to separate treated water from untreated water.
They will test both and compare results.
At the end of August, ELI’s Microbe-Lift product was applied to the specific area, which is designed to reduce waste organics, nutrients and pathogens that have caused waters to deteriorate in quality and color.
ELI will be testing its results in their own lab, an outside lab, as well as testing from the city of Cape Coral.
Treatment-which is applied by Mettauer Environmental, a local licensed environmental treatment company in Southwest Florida-will be done every three days for the first five treatments, then every two weeks for two months, followed by once a month, over the 180-day program period.
“Our hope and goal is to show a positive change both physically and scientifically,” said Richter.
ELI offered this trial program to the city at no cost after Pearson sat in on a presentation about the product and how it has benefitted other bodies of water and aquariums around the world.
“We liked what we saw,” said Coviello of the presentation. “We took it-we tried to do our best to fast-track it through DEP, and here we are. We’re in the process of the study.
“My hopes and my expectations was to do the test here, because we have a horrific problem we’re all dealing with. And my optimism is that if that works, then it doesn’t need to be done here if you do it up at the lake (Okeechobee).
“The goal is to take this small test and trial that has been approved, and say, ‘Look what happened.’ and then put pressure on the state and federal government to provide this type of treatment.”
ELI is a family-owned business that has been around for more than 40 years-with zero environmental upsets-and has operated in Cape Coral for 22 years.
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