Lakeland to use new tech to harvest harmful algae blooms in Lake Bonnet
LAKELAND, Fla. - The City of Lakeland approved a project in mid-April that will use new technology to restore the water quality at one of their popular lakes.
Lake Bonnet is known as an "impaired" lake, which means it has excess nutrients, which fuels algae growth.
"Less transparency. When that happens, the aquatic plants that grow in the lake don't grow as well, because they don't get the sunlight," said Laurie Smith, the manager of the city's lakes and stormwater division. "Native wildlife don't thrive if they don't have the native vegetation to eat."
The algae can be unsightly and even smelly, and this could impact whether people fish or boat on the lake. But through a $1.7 million grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the city contracted with a consultant that uses technology that combats the harmful blooms by scrubbing the algae cells out of the lake water.
"The algae is reused for beneficial purposes, such as fertilizer or biofuels or other things down the road," said Smith. "Then, the clean water is returned back to the water."
Last year, a week-long test was completed at Lake Hancock in Polk County to try out the process. The City knows this technology works, but they want to see how effective it'll be at restoring water quality in the long term.
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The equipment will be moved to the lake starting in May. The algae harvesting will last for a year and the hope is this technology can be used in other lakes as well.
Bonnet Springs Park, which is adjacent to Lake Bonnet, also received $450,000 from the state. The city is working with them on a public-private partnership, so there's $2.5 million to fund this project in total.
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