Article
Author(s)
David Tomasko1, Emily Keenan1, Jessica Hudson2, Matt Logan3, Sherri Ouimet3 and Joanne Vernon3
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DOI:10.17265/2162-5298/2017.03.001
Affiliation(s)
1. Environmental Science Associates, Tampa, FL 33607, USA
2. Atkins North America, Tampa, FL 33607, USA
3. Public Works Engineering Division, Charlotte County Government, Punta Gorda, FL 33950, USA
ABSTRACT
The Sunshine Lake/Sunrise Waterway System, located in Southwest Florida
(USA) previously experienced extensive and persistent algal blooms, with
noxious odors and deep organic-rich sediments. This algal bloom was addressed
via a lake-wide dredging project to remove the material from the lake bottom. A
contributing factor to the algal bloom is elevated phosphorus in stormwater
runoff, likely due to naturally phosphorus-rich geology in the surrounding
watershed. Due to the naturally elevated phosphorus supply, excessive nutrient
loads will likely continue in the future. An ongoing monitoring program,
initiated after the dredging of the lake, determined that a type of algae (Chara sp.) other than that which caused
the initial bloom had established itself by October 2015. This plant biomass is
considered an alternative destination for incoming nutrient loads, and as such
should be managed, rather than eliminated via the use of herbicides. The
abundance and nutrient content of the mass of Chara sp. in the lake and waterway was estimated, and the amount of
external nutrient load that would be removed from the lake with physical
harvesting of Chara sp. was
quantified. The cost-effectiveness of nutrient removal via physical harvesting
of Chara sp. was then compared
against typical stormwater treatment ponds.
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