The Santa Fe Algal Turf Scrubber® (ATS) pilot was implemented for the Suwannee River Water Management District to evaluate the use of attached-algae treatment for nutrient reduction in the Suwannee River Basin. The pilot was located near the upstream reaches of the Santa Fe River in northern Alachua County, Florida, where two parallel mobile ATS floways treated river water under site-specific water-quality and seasonal conditions.
Santa Fe ATS pilot floways in northern Alachua County, Florida. The two parallel mobile pilot units treated Santa Fe River water to evaluate nutrient reduction.
The project followed HydroMentia’s earlier regional engineering assessment of ATS-based nutrient control for the Suwannee River. The Santa Fe pilot provided field data to evaluate algal productivity, nitrogen and phosphorus reduction, dissolved oxygen response, and design considerations for potential larger-scale ATS applications within the Suwannee and Santa Fe River watersheds.
Facility Summary
Facility: Santa Fe Algal Turf Scrubber® Pilot
Location: Northern Alachua County, Florida
Technology: Algal Turf Scrubber® / attached-algae floway
Scale: 53,000 GPD; two 500-foot-long by 1-foot-wide mobile pilot floways
Status: Pilot testing completed
Operating Period: 2010–2011
Source Water: Santa Fe River
Operating Context: Suwannee River Basin; nutrient reduction planning; spring-fed river system
Application: Nitrate-nitrogen reduction, total nitrogen and phosphorus reduction, dissolved oxygen enhancement, algal productivity evaluation, and full-scale performance projection
Owner / Sponsor: Suwannee River Water Management District
HydroMentia Role: Pilot system implementation, operation of one floway, monitoring, data evaluation, ATSDEM assessment, and final performance reporting
Operating Context
The Suwannee River Basin has experienced increased nitrate-nitrogen loading from groundwater and spring discharges, creating long-term water-quality challenges for the Suwannee River, Santa Fe River, associated springs, and downstream Gulf of Mexico receiving waters. The Santa Fe ATS pilot was implemented to evaluate whether ATS treatment could provide a regional nutrient-reduction tool for these low-concentration, high-flow river systems.
The pilot built upon HydroMentia’s 2006 Preliminary Engineering Assessment for a Comprehensive Algal Turf Scrubber® Based Nutrient Control Program for the Suwannee River in Florida. That assessment evaluated the potential use of regional ATS treatment sites to reduce nitrate-nitrogen, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus loads in the Suwannee River.
Two parallel ATS mobile pilot floways were installed near the upstream Santa Fe River. One floway was operated by HydroMentia using its standard operational protocols, while the second floway supported additional evaluations by the University of Florida. This arrangement provided both practical operational data and research-oriented information on ATS process dynamics.
Operational Significance
The Santa Fe pilot is significant because it tested ATS treatment under challenging low-nutrient, low-alkalinity river conditions. These conditions were important because the Santa Fe River pilot site had lower available nitrate-nitrogen and lower alkalinity than many downstream Suwannee River locations. As a result, the pilot provided a conservative test of ATS performance for regional nutrient-control planning.
The pilot demonstrated meaningful reductions in biologically available nitrogen. Both floways achieved approximately 56% reduction in nitrate + nitrite nitrogen during the project monitoring period, while total nitrogen reductions were approximately 19% for the HydroMentia-operated floway and 12% for the second floway. Total phosphorus reductions were approximately 10% and 9% for the two floways.
The pilot also demonstrated substantial dissolved oxygen enhancement. Dissolved oxygen increased by approximately 58% to 61% across the two floways, indicating that ATS treatment could provide both nutrient-reduction and oxygenation benefits for river and spring-system applications.
The report concluded that ATS nitrogen-removal performance was consistent with the earlier 2006 Suwannee River engineering assessment, and that ATS could provide a regional option for reducing nitrogen loads in the Suwannee River watershed. The report also noted that higher nitrate-nitrogen and alkalinity levels present in portions of the Middle and Lower Suwannee River would be expected to support greater algal productivity and improved nitrogen recovery rates.
Photographs
Photographs of the Santa Fe ATS pilot show the river intake, pump station, piping runs, mobile pilot floways, algal turf development, monitoring activities, and project site conditions.
Santa Fe ATS pilot site layout showing the Santa Fe River intake, pump station, pilot floways, and discharge route. The pilot required an estimated 550-foot intake line, approximately 1,400-foot discharge line, and approximately 30 feet of vertical lift to deliver river water to the ATS floways.
Santa Fe River intake location for the Santa Fe ATS pilot. River water was pumped from the source-water intake to the pilot floways located upland from the river corridor.
Santa Fe ATS pilot intake piping routed from the Santa Fe River through the riparian corridor to the pump station.
Santa Fe ATS pilot pump station and piping manifold used to deliver Santa Fe River water to the mobile pilot floways.
View Santa Fe ATS photo gallery
Additional facility photographs are available in HydroMentia’s Facebook photo archive. Facebook may require visitors to sign in to view the full gallery.
Reports and Publications
The Santa Fe ATS pilot is documented in HydroMentia’s final performance report for the Suwannee River Water Management District.
Technical report: Santa Fe Algal Turf Scrubber® Pilot Program Final Performance Report — February 16, 2010 through February 22, 2011
The pilot was preceded by HydroMentia’s regional engineering assessment of ATS-based nutrient control for the Suwannee River.
Related Facilities
Related HydroMentia ATS facilities and demonstrations include Suwannee River Regional ATS Assessment, PC-South/Osprey Marsh ATS, Osprey Marsh ATS, Egret Marsh ATS, S-154 ATS, Falls Lake ATS, NYCDEP Rockaway ATS, Maryland Port Administration Algal Flow-Way, and other full-scale and pilot-scale attached-algae treatment systems.