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Titusville accepts $150,000 donation for nanobubbles pilot in city marina; council approves vendor contract
Summary
Laura Lee Thompson donated $150,000 to fund a nanobubbles muck-treatment pilot at the City Marina; council approved a contract with Moliere Incorporated (not to exceed $121,800) and a third-party monitoring arrangement with Florida Institute of Technology. Vendor representatives said equipment is guaranteed to operate for the pilot period.
Titusville, Fla.
The Titusville City Council accepted a restricted $150,000 donation from Laura Lee Thompson to fund a pilot project testing nanobubbles technology for muck treatment at the City Marina and approved a contract with Moliere Incorporated not to exceed $121,800. Council also approved the associated budget amendment and a planned third-party evaluation by Florida Institute of Technology (FIT).
Donor Laura Lee Thompson said the funds are from her family's estate and acknowledged the pilot carries risk: "No, there's not a guarantee... We know it works in freshwater stormwater ponds, but... to have a project like this in the big open waters of something like the Indian River Lagoon, no. We don't know if it's going to work. But if we don't try it, we'll never know."
Christopher Moyer, representing the vendor, told council that Moliere guarantees the equipment will operate and distribute oxygen for the six-month pilot and that Dr. Austin Fox of FIT will lead monitoring and validation. Staff said a permit determination request is pending with the St. Johns River Water Management District and that pre-installation monitoring has already begun. Council approved the donation acceptance and contract unanimously.
Next steps: Staff will finalize the contract, confirm permit requirements with SJRWMD, begin baseline monitoring, and brief council with FIT'generated findings during and after the pilot period.
