Central Florida Regional Pond: Pond Clear Plus and TurboFloc Clear 27 Million Gallons of Turbid Water
The challenge
A large Central Florida development began construction of a 50-acre regional stormwater pond to provide treatment for past, current, and future projects. Construction began in 2025 with the intent of becoming operational in late 2026. The site was completely surrounded by wetlands and drainage canals heavily monitored by local regulatory agencies, and soils were a mix of sands, muck, and a very fine clay that had historically been difficult to treat via chemical means.
Weather, economics, and planning challenges put work behind schedule, creating a near worst-case scenario: treating a maximum water volume during the rainy season. APS personnel initially recommended treating approximately 5 million gallons for the first subbasin pumping. Site jar testing showed a duplex Floc Log formulation could reduce turbidity from 500 NTU to 23 NTU (95%).
Several months of delays then changed the volume to approximately 27 million gallons at the height of the rainy season, as tropical storm and hurricane season began. This five-fold increase called for a two-step treatment process to meet the 30 NTU discharge limit.
Step 1: Whole-basin treatment with Pond Clear Plus
The whole basin was treated with Pond Clear Plus (PCP) as a surface application — one of the largest volume water treatments using PCP to date. Because of the pond’s volume and depth, site jar tests could only produce a 75% turbidity reduction with PCP alone; in the field, the application reached 78%.
Pond Clear Plus was mixed 1:10 and applied by two 3,000+ gallon hydroseed trucks at 300 lb per load.
Application took two days, and turbidity dropped from 500 NTU to around 110 NTU (78% reduction). The spray equipment could not adequately reach the middle of the pond, so further reduction was needed before discharge.
Step 2: In-pipe treatment with TurboFloc
The second stage used in-pipe mixing: six TurboFloc System units in series dosed the turbid water, capturing particulate on jute matting and in small pool areas before discharge.
The contractor and regulatory agencies monitored constantly to ensure discharge stayed below 30 NTU. Statewide surface water limits, including turbidity, are set in the Florida turbidity criterion (Rule 62-302.530, F.A.C.). The TurboFloc system routinely discharged water under 25 NTU — about 22 NTU.
Results
Turbidity in this large pond, surrounded by sensitive wetlands, dropped 96% overall, from 500 NTU to about 22 NTU. The two-part combination of Pond Clear Plus and TurboFloc dosing got the project back on schedule during peak rainfall and tropical storm season. As water cleared, wildlife such as a great egret and an American alligator became more visible in and around the pond. For comparison, see another Florida dewatering job near Bartow, a Tennessee habitat pond restoration, and construction-site pond turbidity in Holly Springs, GA, or browse stormwater pond and basin results from other APS projects.
Site: Central Florida (50-acre regional pond)
Project: Rainy-season dewatering of ~27M gallons to a 30 NTU discharge limit
Products: Pond Clear Plus (12,500 lb, over 250 bags), TurboFloc System, Floc Logs (jar test)
When: Construction began in 2025; Pond Clear Plus applied over two days
Central Florida Regional Pond project gallery
