Cape Coral finishing algae cleanup contract, considering nano-bubble technology

Reporter: Morgan Rynor
Published: Updated:
Algae Cleanup in Lee County. Photo via WINK News

Lee County’s algae-removal contract with AECOM is coming to an end.

Lee County officials are looking into other strategies to continue removing blue-green algae from our waterways.

One strategy they are considering is a nano bubble technology which will allow the vendor to remove the algae without having to haul it to a second location.

Neighbors watched for weeks as crews scooped up algae from their canals. AECOM workers collected nearly 420,000 gallons of algae-filled water.

“I’m just glad it’s finally coming to an end you know,” said John Mclaughlin of Cape Coral. “You can’t always be first, somebody’s gotta be last.”

Assistant City Manager Dave Harner says they spent the most time cleaning canals in Cape Coral.

“We believe at the end of the day it provided relief to the community, those members of the community that couldn’t stay in their homes because of the smells or the respiratory issues,” he said.

Residents of Cape Coral are happy about the reprieve from the mess which took a toll on many neighborhoods.

“It was nasty, but it looks a lot better now,” said Sarah and Kerry McLaughlin.

Now the City is looking into more options.

“Nano bubble-technology is basically using a combination of treatment methods to cleanup the water, break down the bacterial cells,” explained Natural Resources Director Roland Ottolini. “It uses a process of oxidation.”

A new pilot program will be free for the County and will last 3-5 days. Locations are yet to be determined due to daily changing water conditions.

The program is expected to begin sometime next week.

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