Santa Fe ATS™ Pilot Results

Ocala, Florida (August 27, 2011)

The Santa Fe Algal Turf Scrubber® Pilot Program was funded by the State of Florida, and Administered by the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD), for the purpose of determining the cost effectiveness of applying the Algal Turf Scrubber® or ATS™ within the Suwannee River Basin for reduction of nutrient loadings associated with the Suwannee River System.

For a one year project term from February 16, 2010 to February 22, 2011, two parallel, 500 foot long, one foot wide, Algal Turf Scrubber® (ATS™) Mobile Pilot Units (MPU) floways were operated and their performances monitored and recorded. The units were installed near the upstream reaches of the Santa Fe River in northern Alachua County, Florida–the Santa Fe River being tributary to the Suwannee River and part of the Suwannee River Basin.  The Suwannee River eventually releases its waters to the Gulf of Mexico just south of Florida’s panhandle bend.

Mean influent TN concentration during the monitoring period was 1.07 mg/l, while TN effluent concentrations were 0.88 mg/l and 0.94 mg/l for Floway SF1 and SF2, respectively. Project influent and effluent NOx-N concentrations were 66% and 86% lower than the long-term target NOx-N concentration for the Suwannee River (0.35 mg/L).

Floway SF1 achieved a 56% reduction in NOx-N, and 14% and 19% reductions in Total Kjeldahl-N (TKN) and Total Nitrogen (TN), respectively. Floway SF2 achieved a 56% reduction in NOx-N, and 7% and 12% reductions in TKN and TN, respectively.

Testing on the relative low NOx-N and low alkalinity waters associated with the Santa Fe River near Boston Farm confirms that the Algal Turf Scrubber® technology will achieve high rates of NOx-N removal even as concentrations in the Suwannee River are reduced towards the long-term NOx-N target of 0.35 mg/l.

About HydroMentia, Inc.

HydroMentia, Inc. designs, builds and operates innovative, cost-effective, managed aquatic plant treatment systems for pollution control and water restoration in agricultural, industrial and urban applications. The Algal Turf Scrubber® is a proprietary technology available exclusively through HydroMentia, Inc. HydroMentia owns numerous patents and intellectual property. Its head office is in Ocala, Florida. For more information about HydroMentia, Inc., go to www.hydromentia.com.