Bio-Health Pod Systems Stormwater Technology Demonstration and Suitability Evaluation Project

Escambia County is seeking a qualified firm to provide Bio-Health Pod Systems and associated technical services to support a stormwater technology demonstration and suitability evaluation project. The project will evaluate the applicability, operational feasibility, and performance of Bio-Health Pod Systems within three existing wet stormwater management facilities in Escambia County.

The selected Contractor will provide the equipment and technical services necessary to support implementation and objective evaluation of the technology, including site evaluation support, system design, permitting assistance, installation support, technical consultation, monitoring support, public education support, and final reporting assistance.

Stormwater management facilities can accumulate excess nutrients and organic-rich sediments that contribute to degraded water quality conditions, algae growth, increased maintenance needs, and nutrient loading to downstream waterbodies. Escambia County is evaluating an innovative approach that may provide additional tools for improving stormwater facility performance and reducing nutrient-related impacts.

Bio-Health Pod Systems are designed to function as submerged bioreactors that host, grow, and distribute beneficial microbial communities intended to metabolize excess organic matter and nutrients, reduce muck accumulation, limit conditions that promote algal growth, and improve water quality conditions in waterbodies receiving stormwater pond discharges and overflows. This project will provide an objective evaluation of the suitability of Bio-Health Pod Systems as a potential stormwater management technology for reducing nutrient concentrations, reducing muck accumulation, improving water quality conditions, and addressing conditions that contribute to harmful algal blooms.

The project will be implemented as a technology demonstration and evaluation effort. Project results will be evaluated based on scientifically appropriate monitoring and analysis methods, and the outcome of the evaluation is not predetermined.