Caloosahatchee cyanobacteria demo results announced

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA - The problems with excess nutrients discharged into water and resulting toxic algae blooms continue to plague Southwest Florida.

In an effort to evaluate potential remediation solutions, the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, AquaFlex Holdings, Sea and Shoreline, and the Calusa Waterkeeper initiated deployment of various configurations of AquaFlex Open-Cell in the Caloosahatchee on Aug. 16 and 17.

The goal of the demonstration was to determine the potential efficacy for simultaneous removal/detection of the algae and accompanying toxins. The technology, first used in 2010 by BP during the DeepWater Horizon oil spill disaster, has been shown to be effective in removing excess phosphorus and oil-related contaminants in other regions.