Brisben Water Demonstrates Ozonix® Solution for Jean-Michel Cousteau, Congressman Patrick Murphy and Local Officials to Help the Indian River Lagoon
September 11, 2013
On September 8, 2013, Brisben Water Technologies had the great honor of showcasing our patented Ozonix® technology for world renowned ocean explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau, Florida Congressman Patrick Murphy and local officials at our headquarters in Stuart, Florida. The reason for this demonstration was to propose a possible solution to a serious environmental problem facing the St. Lucie Estuary and Indian River Lagoon.
The Indian River Lagoon, a resource of national significance, is the most biodiverse ecosystem in North America – with more than 4,000 plant and animal species (including 36 endangered and threatened species).
After two devastating hurricanes in 1926 and 1928, the water that once flowed from the Kissimmee River to Lake Okeechobee and eventually to the Everglades was manipulated to provide flood protection and suit the region’s growing agriculture business. The Herbert Hoover Dike and many miles of canals and levees were put in place (around Lake Okeechobee) to control the water and divert the original sheet flow to drain the swamp for growing development and industry.
This year, like many other years, large amounts of rain have caused the level of Lake Okeechobee to reach its limit. To avoid a breaching of the dike, water must be released into the St. Lucie Canal and surrounding bodies of water, which continues to present devastating effects on the fragile estuary.
Salinity levels in the St. Lucie Estuary and Indian River Lagoon are now at critically low levels, toxic algae blooms have shut down the use of the lagoon and oyster beds along with native seagrass are dying. More importantly, the oxygen levels of the lagoon are critically low, at levels similar to the Dead Sea, leaving all species at risk.
The Current Solution:
The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) was approved by Congress in 2000, however, key elements of the plan have yet to be implemented. The Everglades Coalition identified nine restoration essentials and benchmarks that must be achieved if CERP is going to deliver the benefits originally promised by the plan. With a timeframe of a few decades and costs in the billions of dollars, we at Brisben Water Technologies believe we have a cost-effective solution that will complement CERP and minimize the environmental and economic impact caused by current Lake Okeechobee discharges.
Brisben Water’s Solution:
Brisben Water has developed and patented a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach to deploy mobile and/or fixed Ozonix® units at various points along the canals (coming out of Lake Okeechobee) to treat water in multiple stages/treatment zones. As untreated water passes through multiple Ozonix® treatment zones, harmful bacteria will be destroyed and highly oxygenated treated water will aid in the continued process of treatment in the canals. Currently the canal has an ORP (oxygen reduction potential) or 120, similar to the Dead Sea.
We are proposing to use Ozonix® to balance out the ORP (Oxygen Reduction Potential) in the canal and bring it up to life sustaining levels of 300-350 ORP. By deploying Ozonix® systems throughout the canal and on boats to respond to specific scenarios, we have the ability to add millions of gallons of highly-oxygenated/high ORP oxidant water to the canal and have cleaner water entering the St. Lucie River estuary and Indian River Lagoon.
The goal is to have highly oxygenated bacteria-free water entering the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon to prevent toxic algae blooms from continuing to negatively impact the lagoon, its species and local residents’ enjoyment of the river.
As part of a demonstration on September 8 for world-renowned Environmentalist Jean-Michel Cousteau, Congressman Patrick Murphy and Local Officials, we treated actual C-44 Canal water through our patented Ozonix® technology. The water had an ORP of 120, which is similar to the Dead Sea and not life sustaining. As a result of this successful demonstration, we are pleased to share that Brisben Water is currently working with local officials and key resource management groups towards establishing an Ozonix® pilot program on the canal.
Brisben Water believes that a 300-350 ORP range can be maintained across the C-44 Canal from Port Mayaca to the St. Lucie Locks using it’s patented and patent pending Ozonix® process. This will produce a healthy canal system that will help to restore the Indian River Lagoon and St. Lucie Estuary while still allowing fresh water discharges to continue as needed. Further testing with US Army Corps of Engineers officials and marine scientists would be needed to determine proper mixture ratios to maintain the most optimum ORP levels in the canal.
We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to show our commitment to solving the world’s water challenges in our backyard and will provide updates on this proposed project in the near future.
For more information, please visit: Brisben Watertech.com
Best Regards,
Gary Dvorchak, CFA
Senior Vice President, ICR, LLC
+1 (310) 954-1123
