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Board of County Commissioners Meeting Minutes - Final October 10, 2017 Indian River Farms Water Control District's (IRFWCD) North Relief Canal. Through the use of a PowerPoint Presentation, Engineer McCully described the basics of the project and detailed the four (4) stages involved with the Pilot Plant Study. Engineer McCully, with the assistance of Dr.Van Ert, explained the objectives of Stage 1 of the Study and provided the levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, micronutrients, heavy metals, and herbicides found in the canal during the testing period. Throughout the Presentation, Dr.Van Ert answered Commissioner Zorc's inquiries regarding the nature and origin of the organic nitrogen levels found in the water quality samples, water lettuce growing seasons, and if the water temperature had any influence on the growth of the lettuce. Engineer McCully went on to explain the goals of Stage 2 of the Study, which was to compare two systems to determine the most efficient Low Energy Aquatic Plant System (LEAPS), and to measure the amounts of nutrients in harvested plants over a particular time period. He summarized the findings in both systems, and that Stage 3 of the Study would consist of continued testing on the LEAPS system, focusing on the harvesting and monitoring of the plant tissue and water quality. Commissioner Zorc sought and received information regarding the value of the harvested material, and if the by-products of the process could be used in an alternate form. Engineer McCully, assisted by Dr. Van Ert, discussed the possibility of composting the harvested material, and mentioned that past experiments had been done with water lettuce and algae, and that both paper and plastic products had been made from the by-products. Dr.Van Ert stated that there was value in the composted material, but that it would be challenging to market because of the large volume needed to sustain a business. Commissioner Zorc asked if Dr.Van Ert could develop a document that detailed the findings and the basic chemical composition of the plants for distribution to similar agencies to determine if there was any interest in the product. Engineer McCully continued with his Presentation, noting that as the tanks were being harvested, it was noticed that a sludge layer had accumulated in the bottom of both of the water lettuce tanks. He provided an analysis of the sludge amounts, and determined that a sludge removal mechanism would need to be created and incorporated into the final design of the project. A discussion ensued about the findings, with Dr.Van Ert and Engineer McCully offering solutions to the Board's questions about the disposal and handling of the sludge, as well as other possibilities for its use. Engineer McCully summarized the major advantages of the LEAPS system, pointing out that one substantial advantage was that there was no loss of the crop during power outages. Indian River County Florida Page 8