Lakeland City Commissioners voted unanimously this week to accept a $1.685 million grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to help remove algae from Lake Bonnet, using the sole-source, no-bid provider AECOM Technical Services.
“The grant award requires the use of innovative technology that can help mitigate harmful algal blooms by removing nutrients from Lake Bonnet and the nutrient load that’s discharged downstream during storm events that would flow from Lake Bonnet, reaching eventually the Hillsborough River and into Tampa Bay,” City Manager Shawn Sherrouse told city commissioners.
Lake Bonnet has frequently been listed as one of the most polluted lakes in Lakeland.
Sherrouse explained that AECOM’s proprietary design, called Hydro Nucleation Flotation Technology, removes the algae and associated nutrients and toxins from the water.
AECOM, the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, announced on March 23, 2022, it has signed a strategic agreement with Genifuel Corporation to scale the production of carbon-neutral sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and biogas from wild algae and biosolids. The partnership employs a patent-pending process developed by AECOM to harvest wild algae and a patented process developed by Genifuel and the U.S. Department of Energy to convert algae and wastewater biosolids into renewable oil and gas. Together, these technologies provide a truly innovative program to restore nutrient-impacted waterways and make positive use of wet waste material.
The DEP grant agreement requires that the city sub-contracts with AECOM.
AECOM is a California corporation, with its principal executive office in Los Angeles. Its Chief Executive Officer is Karl Jensen and the president of the company is Matt Crane.
“The city and Bonnet Springs have partnered on this project, as well as the other larger grant that we’re all aware of,” Sherrouse said, referring to a 2021 $43 million grant through the Department of Economic Opportunity for improvements to the Lake Bonnet Drainage Basin.
“What would be included here would be a dock at Bonnet Springs Park that will be used to assemble and deploy the automatic intake pump structure to extract water from the pond at Bonner Springs Park, which is connected to Lake Bonnet,” Sherrouse explained. “The algae harvester will be self-sufficient and connected to an existing power line, with an internet connection for continuous and remote operations.”
The city is fronting the money and will be reimbursed once the project is completed. Commissioner Sam Simmons asked if the city had that amount in the budget and Sherrouse assured him the dollars were there.
Work is expected to begin within the next 60 days.