Pilot program for algae cleanup continues near Cape Coral Bridge

Lee County algae cleanup efforts continue Monday in Cape Coral where crews left off Friday.

Crews sucked up algae from the canal at the Clipper Bay Condominiums near the Cape Coral Bridge.

The cleanup effort is a pilot program to see if current methods are effective.

Crews say there are steps to cleaning up the mess and here’s how that process works:

Algae is collected by be sucked from the surface of the water and pumped into a tanker. Once it’s full, the truck goes to a site in North Fort Myers where the liquids and solids are separated. The solids are dried out and then sent to the Hendry County landfill.

Lee County Spokeswoman Betsy Clayton says the liquid is treated to DEP specifications calling it, “almost drinking water standards.”

The treated water goes into an existing 5 million gallon holding pond at the facility before being pumped into a deep injection well. The well is 2,600 feet deep and Clayton adds that it’s below any drinking water aquifers.

Over the weekend Lee County processed 30,000 gallons of liquids and they say the plan for this week is to ramp up to more than 30,000 gallons of liquid a day.

Last week, 17 tankers removed 5,000 gallons of water and algae “slurry” each for a total of 85,000 gallons.

MORE: Crews continue to remove ‘tons and tons’ of algae from Cape Coral canals

Residents are happy to see some progress.

“Between yesterday and today it’s like night and day,” said resident Peter Formica. “We’re standing over here with no towels on our faces, and you can smell the freshness in the air.”

The County notes that the removal process is a pilot project and they’re being cautious and taking it slow. They expects to process between 300,000 and 400,000 gallons as part of the program.

Algae that was removed started the process for disposal over the weekend, according to the Lee County website. The algae is being processed at the site of the North Lee County Reverse Osmosis Plant.