Miami Beach moves to buy $1.4M nanobubble system for polluted Park View Canal

Miami Beach has cleared the way to buy an oxygen-ozone “nanobubble” treatment system for the Park View Canal in North Beach, a waterway that still fails state bacteria standards for swimming. City records show the commission approved the sole-source purchase from Moleaer Inc. on its Oct. 14 consent agenda, authorizing the city manager to negotiate a contract worth up to $1,382,973 over five years.

The plan drew new attention Wednesday when the Miami Herald reported on the effort to restore the canal, quoting Commissioner Alex Fernandez: “People live on the water.”

What the city is buying

According to the city manager’s memo, the deal covers $1,045,733 in the first year for buying, installing and operating the equipment, then $84,310 a year in operating costs for up to four renewal years. The latest proposal in negotiation puts the equipment and installation at $961,423. The Public Works Department also needs $187,380 for the electrical system; the memo says part of that will come from the city’s Biscayne Bay Protection Fund.

Nanobubbles are gas bubbles smaller than 200 nanometers that stay suspended in the water and slowly release oxygen, the memo says. Moleaer told the city to expect higher oxygen levels and clearer water within three to six months, and less muck, odor, algae and fecal indicator bacteria after six to 12 months. The memo adds that no specific water-quality result is guaranteed.

The memo says it would be the first nanobubble system in Miami-Dade County. No other vendor answered the city’s June notice of intent to buy from Moleaer as a sole source.

Why Park View

The canal, an angled arm of the Tatum Waterway, has little natural flushing and drains an 81-acre watershed, according to the memo, which cites University of Miami studies identifying rainfall as the main predictor of poor water quality. The city says earlier fixes under its “Operation Clean Water” program have improved conditions, but bacteria levels still exceed the standard needed to use the canal’s kayak launch.

During the Oct. 14 meeting, a commissioner said the city had authorized the manager to negotiate for the technology, which was described as the first of its kind, according to the meeting captions.

What’s next

Federal, regional and county permits are already in hand, the memo says. If negotiations succeed, manufacturing starts once a purchase order is issued, with delivery and installation targeted for June 2027 and ongoing water-quality monitoring.