Experiment launched in hopes of stopping algae blooms

Upstream of the Moore Haven Lock and Dam on the southwest fringe of Florida’s inland sea, researchers are working to save the world from blue-green algae with a contraption they hope can heal any large body of water plagued by toxic blooms.

The Army Corps of Engineers launched the 10-day experiment that uses a floating skimmer to slurp algae from the upper layer of Lake Okeechobee water on Wednesday, building a makeshift laboratory on the bank of the Rim Canal with hoses running from the skimmer to gurgling machines and train car-size filters on land.

Ideally, the skimmer, similar to what’s used to clean up oil spills, sucks up the poisoned water, which is scrubbed free of algae and the nutrients it feeds on. The clean water is then pumped back to the lake.

Spongy chunks of algae, such as those that clogged canals on the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries in 2016 and 2018, would be separated and turned to biofuel by breaking down the algae cell structure to extract oil. Oil is stored as a natural energy in the algae.

“The potential for this technology is very exciting,” said Erica Skolte, a public affairs specialist with the Corps. “This project is about what we can do in large scale systems like Lake Okeechobee and Lake Erie.”

A bloom of blue-green algae, which is a cyanobacteria, is growing on the western reach of Lake Erie this summer with increasing concentrations of toxins, according to a July 18 algae bulletin from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Parks and beaches from Toledo through Cleveland are flying flags warning of toxin levels hazardous to children, pregnant women, pets, the elderly and anyone with weakened immune systems.

Lake Okeechobee has a rash of blue-green algae along its western edge stretching from Taylor Creek in the north to near Clewiston in the south.

The Corps began warning boaters about the bloom this month and posting signs at boat ramps, campgrounds and fishing piers saying it is unsafe to swim in algae-slicked water. Splashing or boating where algae is present can release toxins into the air, where they can be inhaled. As of July 10, algae was seen at several locks and dams including those at Franklin, Moore Haven and Port Mayaca.

Water samples taken this month near the center of the lake were found to have microcystin toxin levels as high as 19 parts per billion. The Environmental Protection Agency considers levels of 8 ppb or higher unsafe.

“The impact on the lives and businesses of all of the people around Lake Okeechobee is being affected by negative publicity and potentially by toxin effects on their health,” said J. William Louda, a research professor with Florida Atlantic University's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, in a letter this month to the department of health. “The state must initiate monitoring of microcystin-LR levels not only in the water as is being done but also in the meat of the fish in those waters.”

According to the Florida Department of Health, fish tested from water with blue-green algae show that cyanotoxins don’t accumulate much in the edible parts —muscle or fillet—of fish, but can in other organs.

"Rinse fish fillets with tap or bottled water. Throw out guts. Cook fish well," DOH advises on its website.

Unfortunately for researchers this week, there was no blue-green algae visible at the Moore Haven Lock and Dam where the car door-shaped skimmer floated, attached to a stretch of boom meant to direct the algae toward it.

Skolte said water with algae in it can be brought to the skimmer so the removal process can still be tested.

“We hope the research the Corps is working on right now, in partnership with other scientists and experts, will provide the answers we need to help us find solutions to deal with the harmful algae blooms nationwide, and even worldwide,” said the Corps’ Jacksonville District Commander Col. Andrew Kelly.

The study is part of a series of projects the Corps’ Engineer Research and Development Center is working on to manage and prevent blue-green algae. About $15 million is set aside over the next three years for the projects in the 2018 Water Resources Development Act.