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 Life
Support Systems |
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The Center has facilities to care for up to 200 animals at
one time with a total of 62 enclosed exterior spaces. These
life support areas include two intensive care units, an oil
spill response area, special sea otter, turtle, and cetacean
facilities and pools and pens for seals and sea lions. In order
to care for our marine mammal patients, the facility has a complex
water filtration system servicing a total of 29 pools, four
otter totes, and ten intensive care "condos" with
a total of 120,000 gallons of water. A healthy environment for
our animals is a priority here at The Center and the systems
staff tests the water and checks the pools and pens on a daily
basis. Furthermore, our on-site laboratory conducts a weekly
test to determine the fecal chloroforms and total bacteria present
in the water.
The water filtration systems include four independent process
areas, two of which are salt-water or "brine water"
systems. All of the process systems can be divided into three
separate stages. Dirty water is first skimmed and then allowed
to settle in 60,000 gallons of settling tanks. Second, the water
is sent in parallel through 21 sand filters and is fractionated
using Venturi-type differential pressure injectors in protein
skimming towers. Finally, the water is injected with ozone gas,
the primary disinfectant here at The Center, and then is degassed
and returned to the distribution manifold where it can be provided
to the animal's pools. During the summer months, bromine is
also added to the water to control algae growth. |
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