Results
Our Results
Lake Okeechobee Live Demonstration (2019)
- Removed Total Phosphorus to 35 Parts Per Billion
- Dissolved Phosphorous to 20 Parts Per Billion
- Removed 70% of Background Iron
- Color was Reduced by 50% (Improves Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Habitat)
- Removed 30% of Nitrogen
The problem of excess nutrients, phosphorus and nitrogen specifically, in and around Lake Okeechobee is well documented and the resulting algae blooms featured almost nightly on the local and national news.
To demonstrate its proven solution, Phosphorus Free Water Solutions developed a Lake Okeechobee case study to showcase its technology that can remove nutrients before they can stimulate the explosive growth that results in large surface-covering blooms.
For 10 weeks, Phosphorus Free Water Solutions operated continuously, processing various waters coming into the lake, leaving the lake in both directions and in the lake itself.
With some slight variation among the treatment sites, Phosphorus Free Water Solutions demonstrated, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, its capability to remove total phosphorus to approximately 35 parts per billion and dissolved phosphorus to 20 parts per billion, remove 70% of the background iron, reduce color by 50%, and remove 30% of the nitrogen. Coupling the demonstrated process with our biological nitrogen removal process improves the nitrogen removal to approximately 95%.
Removing nutrients to these low levels will initially reduce the frequency and intensity of algal blooms, and once deployed to enough locations, can help Lake Okeechobee reach a more balanced condition.
Lake Apopka Live Demonstration (2017)
- Removed Total Phosphorus to about 30 parts per billion
- Removed Dissolved Phosphorus to 15 parts per billion
- First Technology to Demonstrate Removal of Dissolved Phosphorus
Lake Apopka is Florida’s second-largest lake after Lake Okeechobee. Decades of agricultural activities on the north shore of the lake, combined with waste water discharges, has rendered Lake Apopka highly impaired. Water column phosphorus reached as high as 200 parts per billion and, through diligent efforts by the St. Johns River Water Management District, has gradually been reduced.
During 2017, Phosphorus Free Water Solutions conducted a 90-day, 24/7 technology demonstration on the north shore of Lake Apopka. The purpose of this demonstration was to demonstrate the removal of the multiple forms of phosphorus.
As a direct result of PFWS’s successful demonstration and following a competitive process SJRWMD awarded PFWS a “first-of-kind” commercial scale, high-tech phosphorus removal project on Lake Apopka. This facility is under construction and expected to begin treating water in late January 2020.