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Page 3 SARE Grant Partnership BCC Meeting - June 14, 2016 - CONSENT May 26, 2016 Large scale MAPS water treatment units are in operation in Florida, and are being investigated elsewhere in the country, such as the Chesapeake Bay Region, Falls Lake, NC and Corpus Christi Bay, Texas. Indian River County, Florida presently operates two MAPS facilities oriented around a technology known as the Algal Turf Scrubber® (www.irestormwater.com/facilities.htm) which is a proprietary technology held by HydroMentia Technologies, LLC of Ocala, Florida (www.hydromentia.com). These facilities are providing required nutrient reduction within impaired surface waters, and the harvested algae is being composted and marketed locally under the name Lagoon Saver TM(www.lagoon saver. com; Van Ert, Nemoto and Associates, LLC). This algal compost has been shown by USDA (Albano et. al., 2010) to have a somewhat higher than desirable bulk density for potting soil, but nonetheless offers high levels of growth performance as a matrix for amendment mix. In addition, it has shown to be a standalone growth medium for the production of a wide range of vegetables and herbs (Van Ert, Nemoto and Associates, LLC's Farm). It is proposed that the compost be enhanced with bio-inoculants to increase its value as a soil for commercial farming (Sivasakthi et. -al. 2014). The project as proposed includes participation by Indian River County, which would provide operational services including harvesting and storing of algae from their existing MAPS, with Van Ert, Nemoto and Associates, LLC to process the algae and distribute the resulting compost to Grow for Change for final enhancement and distribution to the participating farms. Indian River County's Role The County's primary role if the grant is awarded will be to supply the nonlocal Grow for Change with up to 50 wet tons of algae from Egret Marsh Stormwater Park's algal turf scrubber. In return, the County will receive a lump sum payment of $50,000. In calendar year 2015, Egret Marsh produced over 1,400 wet tons of algae or an average 117 wet tons per month. FUNDING There is no specific funding required for this item. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends the Board of County Commissioners approve partnership in the grant pre -proposal application and if the grant is awarded, provide up to 50 wet tons of algae from Egret Marsh Stormwater Park for a lump sum fee of $50,000. F\Public Works\KefthM\Stormwater Projects\Egret Marsh Operation\Agenda Items\Agenda - Consent - SARE Grant 29 Partnership.doc