Alpha-NutriFilter
Lake and Detention Basin Restoration - Nature Friendly Nutrient Filtration System
Shown to remove over 90% of specific Nutrients in its particulate and dissolved forms.
Alpha-NutriFilter nutrient filtration system assists in retention basin remediation, pond and stream protection, lake, stream and watershed restoration projects. The system captures nutrients with a patent pending design based on an innovative "side-stream" filtration system that utilizes a proprietary phosphorus and nitrogen removal filtration technology.
The Alpha-NutriFilter system utilizes a nature friendly nutrient removal design. The NutriFilter system is both cost-effective and compact, capturing phosphorus, nitrogen and other pollutants as well.
This innovative nutrient filtration technology captures phosphorus, nitrogen and other water column and bottom sediment pollutants. The system includes a compact filter chamber/chambers that are installed at the edge of a retention basin, lake or stream.
The system acts like a large aquarium filter. The water from the lake is pumped into the filtration/reaction chambers that contains natural filtration media and beneficial microbes. Treated water is returned to the lake after flowing through the filtration chamber.
Alpha-NutriFilter utilizes a patent pending restoration process utilizing filtration media composed of natural, environmentally friendly elements and beneficial microbes. The active filter media can be engineered to target and remove specific pollutants that may be unique to the chemical composition of the remediation stream, lake or retention basin. The filtration system assists in meeting the new TMDL Numeric Nutrient Criteria standards. The system design focuses on capturing and removing nutrients upstream at its source before they are flushed downstream during heavy wind and rain events.
Filters/Operates Between Rain Events * Removes Nutrients/Pollutants * Improves Oxygen/Aeration * Provides Mixing * Provides Beneficial Microbes * Reduces Legacy Sediment * Reduces/Eliminates Herbicide Use * Promotes Stable Aquatic Plant and Wildlife Communities * Scalable
History and Field Test Reports
Field Test - Stormwater Detention Basin - Celebration, FL - Nutrient Removal
Alpha-NutriFilter filtration system removes the algae bloom producing nutrient, phosphorus as well as other organic matter suspended in the water column. Herbicides and other chemicals that kill plant life in the lake to "control" algae have numerous negative effects on the health of the stormwater detention basin.
This technology was proven effective in a SFWMD project upstream from Lake Okeechobee where approximately 90% of TP was removed, from up to 5.0 mg/l to 0.5 mg/l or less.
A subsequent recent installation in a stormwater pond within Reedy Creek Improvement District RCID reflected lab and field reductions of nearly 99% TP meeting the Numeric Nutrient Criteria (NNC) discharge criteria of 0.120 mg/l.
River and Stormwater Detention Basin Algae Blooms
Chemically "treated" dying algae and plants immediately release the phosphorus and nitrogen into the water creating a spike in their concentration levels in the lake.
Photo: St Johns River "Green Monster" recurring algae bloom
Chemical treatment kills native plants and thereby promotes algae blooms as there are no other surviving plants to remove the nutrients from the basin.
Dead algae and plants sink to the lake bottom and create deep layers of legacy muck.
Heavy rain and wind stirs up this muck, releasing nutrients back into the water column.
The nutrients and suspended organic matter released from the muck flushes downstream to pollute the receiving waterbody.
Stormwater Detention Basin Pollutant Removal - Vital to Watershed Restoration
Stormwater basins were initially designed to capture runoff to control flooding.
They became pollutant "treatment" systems as stormwater regulations evolved.
In many cases these basins are more like open sewers that capture and hold a variety of pollutants, floating debris and contaminated sediment.
Captured pollutants remain in the basins until the next significant rain or windy day where they are flushed out and washed downstream.
Pollutants residing in stormwater basins often are not accounted for by "grab sampling" methods. Water quality testing/sampling often occurs on clear days when the sun is out and the weather is pleasant. Capturing samples during this time will not account for the pollutants that are flushed out during and after a heavy rain or wind event.
South Florida Cattle Ranch - Platt Branch Restoration
Alpha-NutriFilter is an engineered filtration media that has the unique ability to
filter and retain up to 1 1/2 times its weight in phosphorous.
Testing by the South Florida Water Management District at this Florida cattle ranch showed a phosphorous removal rate that exceeded 90%. (More testing information is available upon request)
Reservoir Pond holds stormwater prior to treatment in the PhosFilter Ponds. Water is gravity fed into the East and West PhosFilter Ponds.
West PhosFilter Pond treats stormwater that gravity feeds from the Reservoir Pond.
Construction of PhosFilter Pond
Construction of PhosFilter Pond
Discharge Pipe
Clean stormwater flows into Platt Branch after passing through the PhosFilter media in the PhosFilter Pond. Over 90% of the phosphorus has been removed.
Sump Pump
Stormwater is pumped from the Ranch swales/sump into the Reservoir Pond. Water then is gravity fed into either the East or West PhosFilter Pond.
PhosFilter Pond
Clean stormwater flows into Platt Creek after passing through the PhosFilter media in the PhosFilter Pond. Over 90% of the phosphorus has been removed.
Platt Branch
Clean stormwater flows into Platt Creek after passing through the PhosFilter media in the PhosFilter Pond. Over 90% of the phosphorus has been removed.
