AguaCulture Technologies offers a possible solution to clean narrow waterways.
AguaCulture Technologies, a company that provides nature-based solutions to improve water quality, announced their precision removal of nuisance muck and sand from kayak trails for the City of Boca Raton Florida, using a technology that avoids the destruction of protected mangroves.
Muck has plagued Florida’s lakes, rivers, and canals for years causing navigational issues and environmental damage. In fact, the excessive nutrient load prompted Gov. Ron DeSantis to earmark $240 million dollars towards improving water quality. However, with small channels like kayak and canoe trails, the problem is exacerbated by the need to avoid damaging the protected mangroves that usually surround these waterways. It is a task for which the equipment used to maintain the state’s large canals is completely unsuited.
Mangroves are essential for thousands of species to live and reproduce. AguaCulture has introduced the Vortex Canal Cleaner™ system to address this problem. By using an aquatic excavator with a pump and hose system, AguaCulture can navigate and work in the narrowest of water trails without disturbing the mangroves or habitat.
Nick Szabo, owner of AguaCulture Technologies and inventor of the system, is a former Canadian farmer who now lives in Florida and has dedicated his life to combating the problems that threaten the state’s waters.
“Traditional processes just don’t work in this scenario,” Mr. Szabo said. “The equipment typically used is too large and cumbersome to do the job without destroying the surrounding foliage.”
When asked how he came up with the system, Mr Szabo said, “I’ve been pumping muck and manure all my life on farms across America and using it to increase crop production. So, it was easy for me to transition that knowledge to this need. Like anything, once you figure out the logistics, it’s all about getting the job done.”
For more information, visit www.agcutech.com.
Reprinted from Marine Construction Magazine, Issue I, 2024.
