Gulf Breeze, Florida - Archive

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

Gulf Ecology Division Laboratory

This page houses older environmental information about EPA's Gulf Ecology Division Laboratory in Gulf Breeze, Florida. View the laboratory's current facility page.

In fiscal year (FY) 2003, EPA completed a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) upgrade in the main laboratory, adding an air-to-air heat exchanger and direct digital controls.
In 1996, a Dinh-style heat pipe dehumidification system was installed in the air handling system at the Gulf Breeze laboratory. A 1998 EPA study showed that the heat pipe saved 153,775 kilowatt hours (kWh) in annual energy consumption (about 10 percent of the facility's total) and $7,700 in annual energy costs. See the full report: Heat Pipe Effectiveness Study for more information.

In FY 1998, EPA installed a photovoltaic (PV) system to generate onsite electricity to light the facility's piers. On September 16, 2004, the Gulf Ecology Division Laboratory was hit by intense wind, rain, and a storm surge caused by Hurricane Ivan. Many of the laboratory facilities suffered roofing damage and the strong storm surge resulted in flooding of up to 10 inches in certain buildings. The laboratory's location on the north side of Sabine Island protected it from the brunt of the Gulf of Mexico's wave action, but parts of the facility's piers were washed away by the storm. As a result, the laboratory's PV pier lighting system is no longer operational. After extended clean-up efforts, power and water were restored to the facility in mid-October 2004.