"The Silver Springs Stormwater Nutrient Reduction Project's NRFS Retrofit Installations are Essential to Reviving the Silver Springs Springshed.”
SILVER SPRINGS REHABILITATION PROJECT - LAKE ANDERSON
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Client / Owner City of Ocala Distributor Ferguson Waterworks Contractor Marion Rock Inc Engineer City of Ocala Public Works Department Stormwater Engineering Division Project Scope
Project Dates July 2017 – January 2018 |
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Overview
Located in Ocala, Florida is one of the most revered and majestic natural water formations in the world, Silver Springs. This massive first magnitude springshed encompasses 1360 square miles, including 25 artesian springs, which form the headwaters for the Silver River. Silver Springs is one of Florida’s greatest natural wonders, containing a diverse biomass of fauna and unique flora while typically averaging more than 700 cfs of aquifer groundwater daily. Despite the biodiversity and grand extent of these springs, an array of threatening issues have developed over several decades, slowly diminishing this natural treasure. Flow rate issues have become more prevalent over the past several decades, declining nearly 80% at various times. This coupled with river sections that have become stagnant, limiting aquatic fauna diversity and a major skyrocketing of nutrient pollution, have caused impaired water conditions and an excessive amount of algae blooms to form throughout the Silver River and Silver Springs springshed. Therefore, action must be taken to mitigate said issues and restore Silver Springs to its former glory, lest it become swallowed up by mass eutrophication and lost to the ages. As a result, the City of Ocala along with the Florida DEP developed the Silver Springs Stormwater Nutrient Reduction Project as an effort to tackle the mass nutrient influx spawning algae blooms throughout the springs and river. The City of Ocala has comprised a plan to retrofit three key drainage wells each with a Nutrient Removing Filtration System™ (NRFS®), the first of which is located at Lake Anderson. These retrofits are an essential first step to revitalizing Silver Springs by filtering the nitrogen rich runoff infiltrating the Floridian Aquifer assuring its longevity. |
View of NRFS® Treatment Vault System Installation at Lake Anderson in Ocala, FL
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Neutralizing Nutrients Negates Nitrate Volume
An extensive action plan started development in 2015 outlining possible restoration efforts to prevent further nutrient pollution and also appropriate measures for rejuvenating Silver Springs, its fauna and flora biomasses. The City of Ocala’s stormwater engineers subsequently developed a plan for their first drainage well retrofit at Lake Anderson. Engineers planned to utilize an NRFS® treatment system to filter nutrient rich runoff discharging into an drainage well at Lake Anderson, thus ensuring only clean runoff integrates with the underground aquifer feeding Silver Springs. The lake has had a long standing nitrogen and phosphorus impairment issue, causing a local eutrophic state, particularly from the heavy fertilizer usage in the area. The existing drainage well was to be abandoned in favor of a newly constructed drainage well directly connected to the NRFS® vault, which will both recharge the aquifer and remove phosphorus and nitrogen from the runoff emptying into lake. |
Bold & Gold® Biosorption Activated Media is the backbone of the NRFS® treatment vault system and will be the driving force behind reducing nutrient pollution levels within stormwater runoff at Lake Anderson for decades.
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NRFS® Network Precipitates Preservation of National Icon
The Nutrient Removing Filtration System™ or NRFS® is an engineered treatment vault specializing in stormwater nutrient reduction designed and manufactured by Suntree Technologies Inc®. This system utilizes Bold & Gold® biosorption activated media along with orifice flow control, maximizing detention time to remove peak amounts of phosphorus, nitrogen and TSS. The NRFS® will quickly improve the water quality of Lake Anderson averting any semblances of localized algal blooms, while also ensuring the water purity within the aquifer. Furthermore, by diminishing the nitrate levels within the aquifer, existing algae blooms will degrade, allowing water to begin to flow more freely improving oxygen levels and lowering turbidity. Suntree Technologies, Ferguson Waterworks and Marion Rock personnel worked together to finalize the installation of the model 10 - 16 NRFS® system on 1/11/18. The NRFS® and drainage well were successfully installed without issue, effectively laying the groundwork to an essential rehabilitation effort for Silver Springs. The planning and avid dedication of the City of Ocala, Ferguson Waterworks, Oldcastle Precast Concrete, Marion Rock Inc and Suntree Technologies Inc® to collaborate in completing this project phase gives a great affirmation to the Silver Springs Stormwater Nutrient Reduction Project. This multi faceted project is paramount in solving the issues revolving the Silver Springs puzzle. Through the implementation of this phase and the two others that remain, the City of Ocala will take a grand first leap into taking hold of the floundering Silver Springs, mending a frail ecosystem and saving a national treasure. |
View of newly installed drainage well with NRFS® Vault System. The completion of this project is an essential first step to improving local water quality as well as ensuring the purity of water entering Silver Springs.
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NRFS® Distributed By:
| Silver Springs Rehabilitation - Lake Anderson Profile |
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