News Update
Algal bloom treatment pilot project underway at Lake Minneola
Staff report
Enviro-Net
An innovative project to fight algal blooms in Lake Minneola is now underway. Lake Minneola, which has been plagued with blue-green algae, was selected earlier this year for a pilot remediation project to combat harmful algal blooms.
“We look forward to seeing results from this innovative project as we work to discover new remedies to our water quality challenges,” said St. Johns River Water Management District Executive Director Dr. Ann Shortelle.
Funding for the $1.7 million project comes from a 2020 legislative appropriation providing grant funding through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Water Policy and Ecosystem Project’s Innovative Grant Program. The program funds innovative technology projects to test new processes for dealing with water quality challenges.
Using a combination of collected field data, water samples and remote sensing imagery, BlueGreen US Water Technologies Ltd. will identify algae-prone areas in Lake Minneola and deploy its LakeGuard Oxy Technology in strategic locations to reduce current or forming algal blooms.
The same innovative technology is being deployed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the South Florida Water Management District to address blue-green algae caused by discharges from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchie and St. Lucie estuaries.
The pilot project is expected to be in operation for at least six months.
Source: St. Johns River Water Management District