Get a grand tour of the NuRF on Oct. 29th

Open House at Lake County Water Authority’s Nutrient Reduction Facility

The Lake County Water Authority will hold an open house with guided tours on Sunday, October 29 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at its Nutrient Reduction Facility (NuRF) on Lake Apopka.

Discharge from Lake Apopka is the single largest controllable source of pollution in Lake County. The NuRF utilizes off-line liquid alum injection to remove pollutants flowing out of Lake Apopka into the rest of the Harris Chain of Lakes. Alum was selected because of its reliability and history of successful use in many different water treatment applications.

The project was constructed adjacent to the Apopka-Beauclair Canal near the County Road 48 bridge and the St. Johns River Water Management District’s lock and dam facility. The difference in water level upstream and downstream of the lock and dam provides the ability to treat the Lake Apopka discharge without the need for pumps.

Once alum combines with pollutants in the water, it forms heavy snowflake-like particles called “floc” which sink to the bottom. To collect the floc, two 9-acre settling ponds were constructed. The alum floc is pumped from the ponds via a remote-control dredge to a centrifuge for dewatering. The dewatered floc can then be further dried for use in a variety of beneficial applications.

Because of its off-line design, the NuRF retains all the target pollutants and alum by-products sending only clean water downstream. The process removes at least 67% of the target algae-feeding nutrients and provides for the achievement of lake management goals for Lakes Beauclair, Dora, Eustis and Griffin. Clearer water will allow more beneficial plant growth resulting in better fish habitat and less sediment resuspension. Staff will be on hand to demonstrate how the NuRF operates and answer questions.

The open house will take place at the facility at 16100 CR 48, Mt. Dora, just west of the Apopka Lock and Dam. Parking will be available onsite. Directions and further information can be found at www.lcwa.org or by calling (352) 324-6141 ext 0.