The Beneficial Reuse of Power Plant Heated Effluent and Intense Light Arrays to Control Harmful Algal Blooms

Affiliation

¹Les Mers, LLC, 15469 Osprey Glen Drive, Lithia, FL 33547, USA

²Swanson Environmental Associates LLC, 78 Sycamore Lane, Sauderstown, RI 02874, USA

³RPS, 55 Village Square Drive, South Kingstown, RI, 02879, USA

⁴University of Georgia, Department of Marine Sciences, 102 Marine Science Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602

Abstract

A number of control technologies have been proposed to respond to, and help control, harmful algal blooms (HABs) including mechanical, biological, chemical, genetic, and/or environmental treatment concepts. HAB control technologies should focus on accelerating or amplifying natural processes or conditions that act to terminate HABs without the introduction of foreign materials that could remain in the environment as residues. Two potential technologies, the beneficial reuse of heated wastewater from power plants and arrays of intense lights are discussed in this paper First; a CORMIX model simulation on the impacts of a thermal plume discharge is presented. The model results show that the discharge of a large volume of heated wastewater, as from a thermal power plant, could affect a significant, but controllable volume of water impacted by a HAB. Second, the results of a field test of a prototype of a high-intensity light array (the Owen-Weinstein Light Array) are also presented. This light array was tested during a Karenia brevis HAB event in the Intracoastal Waterway in Sarasota, Florida in November 2015. Secchi disk depth was used as a field indicator for changes in the density of the Karenia brevis bloom at the test, background, and control locations. The Secchi disk depth was found to be greater and significantly different than the Secchi disk depth at both the control and background locations. Further, there was no significant difference in the Secchi disk depths at the control and background locations.