A view of Lake Elsinore from Ortega Highway. (Photo by Emily Baierl)
The Lake Elsinore City Council on July 28 unanimously approved a $6,765,000 agreement with Moleaer Inc. to purchase additional nanobubble water treatment equipment as part of the city’s ongoing effort to improve the lake’s water quality.
The agreement also includes a 10% contingency of up to $676,500 for potential project uncertainties and adjustments. According to city staff, the project will be funded through an $8 million federal appropriation secured by the city with support from U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert.
The approved project builds on the city’s comprehensive Lake Management Plan, which the City Council approved in 2023.
“From the beginning, this plan is a road map, every step of the way doing a little thing for the lake and seeing how the lake responds,” Assistant Director of Lake and Community Operations Adam Gufarotti said.
Since the Lake Management Plan was adopted, the city has installed three nanobubble treatment barges, conducted targeted algaecide treatments and continued shoreline maintenance.
The nanobubble treatment barges inject oxygen into the lake to increase dissolved oxygen levels near the lake bottom. Gufarotti said maintaining oxygen near the bottom helps keep phosphorus and nitrogen trapped in lakebed sediments instead of being released into the water, where those nutrients can feed algae growth.
“This phosphorus and nitrogen is what feeds the algae,” Gufarotti said. “So, if we can cap that bottom, we’ll prevent that cycle of algae blooms every year.”
According to the staff report, independent third-party monitoring has documented sustained increases in dissolved oxygen levels throughout the lake since the first nanobubble barges were installed. However, low oxygen conditions still occur near the bottom of the lake during certain times of the year. During those periods, nutrients stored in the lakebed can be released into the water column and increase the potential for algae blooms.
Aerial images compare Lake Elsinore’s water quality over a 10-year period. (Photo courtesy of the City of Lake Elsinore)
The new project includes upgrading the city’s original nanobubble pilot barge to a higher-capacity system and installing a fourth nanobubble treatment barge in the south-central portion of the lake, where dissolved oxygen levels are regularly lower.
Gufarotti said the upgraded system will also be able to inject ozone, which he said will help fight algae blooms.
According to the staff report, the city’s existing nanobubble systems currently inject about 5,000 pounds of oxygen into the lake each day. The newly approved equipment will add another 10,000 pounds per day, bringing the lake’s total oxygen injection capacity to about 15,000 pounds per day.
Gufarotti said studies of the lake’s sediment found that maintaining about 15,000 pounds of oxygen per day is needed to sustain dissolved oxygen levels throughout the water column.
If the project stays on schedule, Gufarotti said the equipment is expected to be delivered in November and installed in December. He said the federal appropriation covers the equipment purchase, allowing the city to continue seeking outside funding for future lake improvement projects.
“This is all being funded by federal appropriations that city staff, working with our city manager and our mayor and our council, worked really hard with Congressman Calvert’s office,” Gufarotti said. “We’re continuing work with our regional partners to look at more grants so that we can take the burden off the city.”
Councilmember Steve Manos thanked city staff for their work on the project and reflected on the city’s progress.
“We didn’t know how it was going to work out, quite frankly,” Manos said. “I also want to go ahead and thank the residents for having faith in us. It could have very well not worked out and we’re seeing the results now. It’s been fantastic. We went from an impaired body of lake that the state of California said we could not allow bodies to touch to almost three consecutive years now where there’s almost undetectable levels of toxins in the lake.”
1 thought on “City Council approves additional nanobubble systems for lake water improvement”
As a 45-plus year resident, I will repeat what I have said for decades: you take care of the fish and the fish will take care of us. Of course, that means our much healthier lake sports a great fishery, draws visitors of all kinds from afar and raises property values. Congrats to the city and the experts they have contracted with!
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