(Courtesy Photo)
By LAURIE COKER
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
In a transformative move for marine life conservation, Sea Turtle Inc. revolutionized its facility with the installation of a cutting-edge on-demand UV water purification and silo system, which was unveiled on Tuesday. The game-changing initiative was made possible through a substantial $145,000 Green Mountain Energy Sun Club grant.
The filtration system is right next to the future 15,000-square-foot turtle hospital that sits alongside the Laguna Madre Bay, the facility’s abundant and natural water source. The new hospital will turn Sea Turtle Inc. into the world’s largest fully enclosed sea turtle rehabilitation center, marking a significant expansion for the organization. The increased capacity will allow Sea Turtle Inc. to double its efforts in rescuing and rehabilitating sea turtles, furthering its mission of conservation and education.
Sea Turtle Inc. uses 200,000 gallons of filtered water per month or 2.6 million gallons per year. According to Wendy Knight, CEO of Sea Turtle Inc., this sustains the hospital, patients and residents center. The old way of doing things wound up fulfilling only 22 percent of the facility’s water needs and taking much longer to achieve.
“The Laguna Madre Bay presents challenges because of the naturally occurring and man-made toxins, bacteria, and pathogens it contains, which threaten the sick and injured sea turtles,” said Knight. “We’ve been addressing this by treating the water with chlorine and other additives that had to then be filtered back out.”
The generosity of Green Mountain Energy Sun Club provided the transformative solution – a state-of-the-art water purification system comprising a sand filter and two silos equipped with pumps, piping, and a heat/cool system. This advanced system is designed to process and safely clean over 250,000 gallons of recycled water each month from the bay much more quickly than before. Tuesday’s unveiling marked a leap forward in sustainability and a critical measure to ensure the well-being of sea turtles undergoing rehabilitation.
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