Can electrifying canal water remove pollutants before they reach the Indian River Lagoon? Michigan-based Greenfield Resources, which is running tests along a canal in Vero Beach, gave a demonstration Tuesday, July 18, 2017 to County Commissioners, including Tim Zorc. 
Along the Main Relief Canal just north of Indian River County government offices, Greenfield Resources set up a trailer full of plastic tubes and machinery the company says can remove nitrogen and phosphorus — contaminants that cause algae blooms — from canal water before it reaches the lagoon.
County officials and environmentalists who attended a demonstration of the technology were impressed, but there are significant unanswered questions.
Greenfield Resources claims they have spent about $700,000 on the project. Indian River County is providing a site along the canal for Greenfield’s trailer, but has not spent any money on the project, said County Commissioner Tim Zorc. “Basically, all the county has done is provide them with a parking place,” said Zorc. “And some staffers helped them set up.”
Greenfield’s system also could be used to clean water where there’s no space – or not enough money – for the traditional way of removing nitrogen and phosphorus from water: build a marsh with plants that suck up the nutrients as water passes through.
“If this works and is cost-efficient, I can see where it could be a contender for future water treatment projects the county might have,” Tim Zorc said. “In fact, it could be used for projects all over Florida.”
Full article here on TCPalm: Analysis: Michigan Company’s ‘Shocking’ Plan to Keep Pollution Out of Indian River Lagoon